Shattered Glass
by Kerayzie
Summary: SEQUEL TO DROWNING POOL Left to die by the Joker, a particular blonde makes a new friend with devestating results for him. How much is too much before the Joker has to beg Batman for help? Somethings are just too important, even to him.
1. Chapter 1

Ok...so this stoy has been written muc like Arkham Angel. I know exactlyy what will happen all the way through, as a result hopefully it will be a little better writen an moredirect to the point than the last lol. I do realise that lost my speed a little at points in the last story and I can onlly apologise to you all. I a thrilled that those of you who have stuck arond did so and I am sure that yu will enjoy this final part of the story.

I would have written the whole thng as one story but I sometimes get put off by lots and lots of chapters so I decided to split i into three segments each with (hopefully) a good enough ending that if somebody wished not to read on they wouldn't feel cheated. Only you can tell me whether both endings were fit for a single story although also used as cliffhangers for a continuation of each.

As I have said before I just want to entertain you and can only hope that you have and do enjoy being inside my head lol.

Although I dont do requests as such I was asked a very good question at the very end of Arkham Angel and as a result my answer kind of formed this part of the story. As time went on it it all began to make perfect sense.

**Therefore this part of the story is kind of for Veretai**. Hope you're still reading. xx

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><p><strong>Shattered Glass<strong>

**Aftermath of Catastrophe**

Drawing her first conscious breath the young woman felt a dull ache in the back of her skull throb with every heartbeat. Opening her eyes she attempted to focus on her surroundings. This place was new to her. Even in the dark she knew that she had never been here before and was becoming increasingly worried. Glancing around herself she could just make out the silhouettes of overbearing trees all around her. Even in the darkness the scent of their damp bark filled her nostrils and throat.

The more responsive her senses became the more she began to realise that she was unable to move. Feeling her lungs tighten with panic she tried to wriggle from her restraints, hoping that her muscles were simply stiff from her sleep. Unable to free herself she felt the tight burning of rope around her wrists and realised her discomfort was intentional.

Twisting her torso the woman attempted to pull her legs from beneath her to re-establish feeling in her feet but to no avail. Feeling a tight pressure on her chest she looked down. The darkness made it difficult to see but her restricted breathing made it obvious that her hands were not the only part of her to be restrained.

Hearing her clothes brush against the hard canvas strapped across her chest she looked closer and saw the dim red glow of a small digital timer beneath the material. Trying to slow her heart and lungs the woman became increasingly aware of the sheer multitude of small, bricklike packages attached to her body.

"No," she breathed shaking her head repeatedly. "No no no no no."

Straining her eyes to make out the numbers the woman felt tears swell in her baby-blues. This had to be a joke. He would never do this to her…would he? After all they had been through together he wouldn't leave her like this. This was wrong, very wrong.

Feeling her throat close up with fear she prayed that this was just a test…a test of her loyalty perhaps? As her body started to relax a little in her restraints she felt her voice escape from her chest giving her true state of mind away. Perhaps he was watching her. It would make sense if he was. He did like to play with his prey. Maybe this was a game Perhaps killing the girl had pushed him over the edge? After all he had been teetering on it for some time now. It would explain a lot.

Sighing heavily she hung her head and waited for him to come back for her. He would come back for her. Of that she was sure.

As she waited in the darkness she listened to the night. Somewhere in the distance there was traffic steadily rolling through Gotham, but closer she could hear the soft hoot of an owl somewhere in the trees. Listening to the repetitive call she hoped that somewhere the bird had a mate and that eventually he would get a reply. As of yet his plight seemed to be fruitless and he fell silent. In his absence the woman imagined that perhaps he had found a mouse or vole to stalk and was silently making his way through the trees hot on its tail.

As her imagination painted pictures of the silent hunt her ears became aware of another, much closer sound. Had the night not been so perfectly still the noise would have more than likely gone unnoticed however luck was on the restrained woman's side. Turning to look in the direction of the soft padding she strained to see a dark shape approaching her.

As she tried to ascertain the nature of the shape she began to feel slightly overwhelmed by some kind of ecstasy. Her mind began to feel somewhat drunk as the sounds around her melted into one soft, humming lullaby. Suddenly feeling a slow wave of warmth wash over her skin and throughout her core she felt her lips stretch into and lazy smile. As her breathing slowed and her muscles relaxed her head filled with the sweetest smell. Struggling to keep her eyes open she took deep breaths of the intoxicating perfume and revelled in the pure joy she felt as the figure approached her almost silently.

Feeling her head begin to fall backwards she lowered her eyes to the grass beneath her shins hoping that her heavy cranium would follow. Blinking hard her bright blue eyes noted the slender, bare feet standing slightly before her. As she forced her eyes to find the face belonging to the feet she felt her gaze following the dark pattern running from the toes of the left foot and winding its way around the shin and continuing up past the hem of a skirt. A woman.

As the standing woman bent to look her in the eye she spoke with a soft, provocative tone, "Well well, what a pretty little flower I have found in the park tonight."

"Huh?" her reply was slow and quiet.

"Does this sweet little seedling have a name?"

The restrained woman tried to focus on her companions face but all she could make out in the dark was a continuation of the pattern running up over the woman's right eyebrow from under her hair. She was beautiful.

Jagged lips stretched into an honest smile, "Harley."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hot Knives and Darning Needles**

Had it not been for the pain Jess would have thought she was dead. As the pain ripped through her chest like wildfire she had fallen to the blood soaked floor eyes ablaze with shock, pain, anger, relief and fear all at once. Glaring towards the insane would be executioner she felt tears stream down her face, not in pain but in relief as she watched the Joker drag the envy fuelled woman into the darkened hallway. Her guardian angel.

Groaning she clutched her shoulder tightly unsure of where the bullet had penetrated her body, but entirely sure of the blood seeping through her blouse. It seemed her ordeal was not over as the filthy clown picked her up and carried her back to the gurney.

"Jess?"

The voice was familiar to her and so was the face. Staring at the bearded smile Jess wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. So the Joker had got to him too.

"Funny how things turn around huh?" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Hey Doc, stay with her…and if I were you I'd deal with that," the clown pointed to the increasing amount of blood seeping through her shirt.

"I've already told him…" he began.

The clown stopped and turned I the doorway, "Trust me, if she dies he **will** kill you."

The doctor turned to look at Jess before placing his hands over the wound an pressing down hard.

"What did you already tell him," Jess wheezed.

"That I was only a psychologist," he smiled weakly.

Jess turned away and listened to the faint commotion outside. She figured they were taking Harley somewhere. After a few moments the air fell silent save for the sound of footsteps on the cold, hard floor of the corridor.

"He's coming back," the injured woman listened as the sound came closer.

"How can you tell it's him?"

Jess didn't answer instead she simply smiled to herself and enjoyed the fact that she really didn't have to explain herself to him anymore.

"So?" the low voice almost surprised the bearded man as the Joker rounded the doorframe.

"So what?"

"Can you _fi__**x**__ her_?" the Joker bit his lower lip nervously.

The doctor paused before Jess answered for him, "He's just a psychologist. _Didn't he tell you that_?"

The Joker smiled at her sarcasm and moved towards her, "Well in _**that**__ case…I guess it's down to __**me**_**ee**."

The burly doctor frowned, images of the Joker dragging thread through Harleen's face over and over again haunting him, "You can't! I wont let you!"

"Er…_wont…let…me_? **Wont let me **_**whaat**_?" his tongue ran over the corners of his mouth as though he was remembering the same ordeal.

The man faltered and the Joker turned back to Jess. Brushing her bloody hair from her face he peered into her eyes and sighed. He was going to have to hurt her and they both knew it.

"It's ok," she nodded wearily, "…I trust you."

He colleague was visibly surprised by the comment as it seemed to drive home the severity of the situation. Either she knew something about the crazed psychopath that he, in all his experience at Arkham had failed to discover, or she was desperate and willing to feign trust to ensure her survival. Either way the Joker lost no time in pulling a lighter from his pants pocket shortly followed by a small paring knife.

Her colleague cleared his throat, "How will you close the wound?"

The Joker didn't answer, instead he set about holding the blade in the lit flame and motioned for the doctor to remove Jess' blouse.

As he pulled the blood stained cotton over her shoulder the Joker removed his gloves and dropped them beside her. Leaning over her the painted man groaned, "Ah, _you're gonna have to sit up a little Je__**st**__er_."

Jess struggled to manoeuvre herself while her colleague pulled the head of the gurney into position so it locked in place. Leaning back against the padded rest she gritted her teeth, preparing herself for the inevitable agony.

Seeing the apprehension in her eyes the Joker pulled a small flick knife from his pants and, keeping the blade concealed, coaxed her to open her mouth so he could place it between her teeth.

"Bite down,"

Jess didn't really need to be given instructions. She remembered her father giving her a wooden top to bite on as he had poured whiskey over her grazed knees when she was a child. Her mother had always kept her from going to school after such incidents for fear of the teachers thinking they were alcoholics. It did the trick though. Jess could not think of a single time when she had an infection after falling from her bicycle or tripping over her skipping rope. The memory made her smile and the Joker saw this.

It wasn't often he had seen his Jester smile. It was almost like a weakness for her; a chink in her otherwise impenetrable armour. He wasn't stupid, he knew she wasn't as hard as she made out. That she had more to her than books and counselling sessions. The woman was intelligent and strong willed, he knew that was all part of her job but underneath it all there was just a woman. A woman who had, of late, been through the mill more than a couple of times. Perhaps that was what he found so intriguing about her, her lack of self defeat, her constant need to succeed…to survive. So many times he had been witness people begging for their lives, or the lives of their loved ones but she had just brushed herself off and got back up again.

Sure in the beginning she had been a game almost, a manner of entertaining himself, something to look forward to but now…now it was different. As he watched the crimson fluid of life drain from her and run over here pale skin, settling on the cotton of her bra and invading the bright white with a dark ruby stain he realised that he just couldn't let her go.

Wiping the thick trail from her chest he pushed the tip of his knife into the open wound, just below her collar bone. As he felt for the hard grate of metal on metal he realised how lucky she had been. Had he not returned at that moment the bullet would have been lodged in her brain and he would not have been so forgiving to the bottle blonde irritation. If that had been the case then Harley would not have been sent away with a ne fashion accessory, she would have been slit from ear to ear. However, as luck would have it, he had returned just in time to see his mentally defective lap dog applying pressure to the trigger of his pistol.

His pistol.

The thought hit him in the chest like the bullet had knocked the wind out of Jess. It was his gun. He had given Harley the means to do it. If she had succeeded he would have never have been the same again. Gotham would never have been the same. If Jess had died because of his stupidity he would have wreaked havoc on Gotham with no pause for consideration or planning. That would have rendered him more dangerous than ever and nothing would have stopped him.

Feeling the bullet under his knife he began to try and wedge the blade down the side of the offending article causing Jess to growl in pain. He knew it was hurting her like hell but he had to get it out, and it was either this or he would have to push it all the way through which given the circumstances wasn't practical.

Working the bullet slowly upwards, back through her flesh he noted how she managed to get away with a pretty superficial wound, a little lower and it would have hit her lung. The knife hit a nerve an Jess' hands instinctively grabbed onto the Joker's waist coat, curling her fingers into the thick material. He continued to work the bullet towards the surface, ignoring her whimpers and groans until the small round lump of metal fell from its fleshy housing and rolled down her breast, resting on the hem of her bra. The Joker traced its path across her skin with his fingers before plucking the bullet from her underwear. The action did not go unnoticed by Jess' colleague and he quickly pointed out the flow of blood from the bullet hole.

Placing the fragment in his pocket the painted clown reheated the tip of his knife with his lighter. Quickly snapping the lighter shut he pushed the red hot blade against the bloody edges of her wound making her yelp and almost jump off of the gurney into his arms. Pushing her back into the padding the Joker smiled and wiped the blood from her chest onto his cuff. Even after cauterising the angry edges the blood still flowed, only slower now. Sighing heavily he fumbled for his needle and thread.

Jess watched as he attempted to thread the cotton into the eye of the thick needle but to no avail. Seeing the terror in the bearded doctor's face she placed her hand on his.

"_Jes__**teeer**__…_." the Joker began with a low voice. She didn't reply. "_This is __**reeeally**__ going to __**hu**__**rt**_."

Jess nodded as bit by bit the Joker pulled the coarse thread through her sore skin, slowly pulling the open edges together in a hope to stop the bleeding. The pain was horrific. Over and over the thick metal of the needle punctured her skin and dragged the cotton through. She knew it wasn't the best thing that could have happened to her but at least she wasn't dead. And at this moment in time that was definitely something she was grateful to him for.


	3. Chapter 3

I think it's high time Jess got her back bone back huh? xx

**The Good, The Bad and The Beautiful**

Harley twisted attempting to get more comfortable as she slowly began to regain consciousness. Suddenly remembering the parting gift the Joker had given her she quickly glanced down at her chest. It was gone. Not only that but she was no longer bound or outside for that matter. Using her elbows to push herself up she peered about herself. Where was she?

Swinging her feet from the bed she rubbed her temples with her fingertips. Her head hurt. Had she been dreaming? Feeling a small smile play on her lips she quickly came back reality. She was not dreaming. She was not at the fairground. She had been stripped of her dirty clothes as well as the bomb laden jacket and she could smell that she had, at some point, been bathed. Pushing the soft blankets away from her body she stood up and made her way to the door. Pushing the wooden panel open she stood in awe. She was in a greenhouse!

Blinking hard the stunned woman made her way through the greenery to the centre of the hot room. This was unbelievable. Harley had never in her life seen so many plants in one place at one time. Running her fingers over the large, flat, rubbery leaves of one plant she sighed in amazement. It was beautiful.

"Did you enjoy your sleep Honey?" the voice was soft and pleasant to Harley's ears. Smiling the blonde turned to the sound but there was nobody there. "You must have needed the rest."

Continuing on her original path Harley pushed her way between two huge bushes to find the owner of the voice with her back to her.

"Hi,"

The woman didn't turn to face her; instead she continued carefully re-potting a small shrub, "I took the liberty of washing you Honey. You were in a real state. Lord knows what you've been through but I'll tell you now I'm glad I found you sweetheart…you're such a pretty little flower. You'd have gone to waste out there."

Harley approached the woman, "Thank you."

Moving the larger of the two terracotta pots before her to one side the older woman motioned to the younger to join her, "You know, you're lucky that I walked that way Sweety, I don't usually go that way…especially this time of year, the pickings are slim."

Harley leaned onto the long wooden counter in front of herself gazing at the array of flowers and herbs lining the paths and hanging from the white metal beams in the roof. "Are these yours?" the blonde enquired cheerily.

"No,"

"Oh," Harley frowned as she watched the older woman fill the space in the big pot with earth before adding water for the plant. "So you work here."

"No," the woman turned to her smiling, "they don't _belong_ to me. Plants are just like people…they try to make the best of what they have but sometimes they just need a little help. Sometimes they just need a little love."

Harley smiled, "So you look after them…they're beautiful."

"They are aren't they?" she ran her fingers through the leaves of the re-potted shrub before smelling her fingertips, enjoying the freshness of the aroma. "It's a pity more people don't appreciate them."

Harley detected a little sadness in the woman's voice beneath the soft southern lilt and tried to change the subject, "I'm Harley."

"You already told me that Sweety. Pamela," she turned to smile at Harley as she pulled pins from her hair allowing the most wonderfully red tresses to fall about her pale face in long, thick waves. "But most people call me Ivy…because of the plants."

Harley didn't know what to say. The woman was stunning. As the pale fingers of her right hand touched Harley's cheek gently the bottle blonde noticed how the pattern adorning Ivy's face was continued on her forearm and hand. On closer inspection Harley saw the deep green of the ink and the shaded ivy leaves attached to the vine. "Wow…cool tattoo," she breathed.

Ivy's glossed lips spread into a broad smile, "Thanks Honey. Now let's see about this." Her fingers brushed across the deep wound spanning Harley's left cheek.

Suddenly feeling the familiar twist of panic in her gut Harley pulled away quickly, "It's fine."

"Oh, dear girl it's far from ok. I promise I wont hurt you. I have just the thing to help with the infection. There's no need to worry about it, but you really can't leave it like this," Ivy reached up to a medium sized spikey plant. Each prong was waxy and dark green and as she carefully sliced one Harley noticed how she apologised for the act and thanked the plant for it's assistance. "Aloe is so good for you Honey. It'll help until I can sort something more productive for the infection."

Slowly Harley raised her head so that the older woman could run the open end of the stalk across her wounds. The cool, slippery sensation eased the discomfort slightly as the heat in her flesh subsided for a moment. Harley felt her jaw relax a little as her throat allowed a small sigh to escape. Feeling a little more at ease she smiled at her new friend.

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><p>Sighing heavily Jess rested her head against the wall and watched as her colleague paced back and forth across the floor. Shaking her head slightly she huffed slightly, "That wont solve anything."<p>

Turning to look at her he frowned darkly, "How can you be so relaxed? Do you have any idea how dangerous he is?" He pointed to the door and shook his head before turning away. "Of course you know…you're the reason this is happening!"

"Excuse me?" Jess retorted sharply. "How is this my fault?"

"You took him off of the meds!"

Jess arched her brow, "Yes I did didn't I? And then I stalked myself and sent myself repulsive and unnerving gifts. Not to mention when I cut my own brake lines…oh and then I thought it would be great fun to lock myself in the hospital…yeah, sorry I forgot all about that!"

The bearded man looked at her blankly. "You know that's not what…"

"Whatever!" she snapped. "You're not in Arkham anymore. You can't get away with the lies out here."

"I didn't lie,"

"Really? So you deny having ever known or worked with Max Gray to me and the police but you make sure my office is untouched? You're pathetic! All of you! I thought I was going crazy and you let me. You never once trieed to make me feel any better about any of it. You know what…the Joker is the only Goddamn person watching my back! Even _**I**_ know there's something seriously wrong with that statement but let's face it: better him than the powers of Arkham Asylum huh? None of this was my fault, certainly not this. You have only yourself to blame. Do not try to blame me for you being here!"

"Look at it from my point of view Jess…"

She couldn't believe her ears. Was he serious? "Your point of view is irrelevant. You don't matter any more. I nearly died on more than one occasion and you just sat back and watched! That makes you as bad as Max in my book.

And while we're at it I'll give you my professional opinion. The Joker is _not_ insane, a proper diagnosis by a real psychologist would have pointed that out in the very beginning. He did not need the meds, he needed fixing, which in my opinion is never going to happen. He is seriously disturbed human being, but a human being none the less. He has signs of previous depression and a possibility of previous self harm and obviously homicidal and psychotic tendencies with delusions of grandeur. He also has an unbelievable confidence in himself, that is not to say that he feels he is invincible but he is a very intelligent and well read man who has perfected the act of torture both physical and mental. I would not recommend him for release nor would I allow him to socialise with other inmates as he has an unprecedented ability to used words as weapons and therefore the undoubted ability to manipulate the weak of mind. Everything he does he plans meticulously down to the smallest detail however he is quick to adapt to changing situations. If you had ever actually taken the time to assess the man you would know that given the circumstances at hand if he was going to kill you he'd have done it already so stop shitting yourself…you're pathetic!"

The man gave up the argument immediately. He knew that every word she had said was true. Even so there was still nothing he could do. Arkham Asylum was run on its own rules and those could not be broken. Brightside had found that out the hard way and if there was any chance that he was going to get out of this thing alive he was not going to go the same way, whether Max Gray was dead or not there were others on the food chain and he did not wish to become one of the rumours. Nobody would change Arkham. Some things were just better left alone and deep down inside he wished that Jess Cunningham would realise that. Regardless of the Joker's involvement he was sure that one way or another the wheels that turned within the mental hospital would catch her and they would crush her, and like so many before her she would never have existed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Firstly I apologise for the length of time I have been away. But I am back and this story will be completed in the upcoming weeks. Thank you for continuing to read. And to those of you who have messaged me recently you gave me the kick in the behind to get it bck on track. **

**BTW I have just had a baby so I may be uploading at strange times**

**Enjoy x**

**Guilty Conscience**

Walking her fingertips across the wooden countertop Harley began exploring the hot house, sliding her feet over the worn clay tiles as she moved away from her new friend. Breathing in deeply she closed her eyes allowing her head to fill with strange scents as the humidity seemed to wrap itself around her aching body like a safety blanket. Keeping her fingers atop the counter she effortlessly guided herself towards the far end of the room slowly losing herself piece by piece as the atmosphere soaked through her mind and soul, her brow furrowed ever so slightly as one by one her muscles relaxed and her knees gave way. She made no attempt to correct herself as her heart curled in on itself and the dam burst within her chest forcing her to the floor with her face in her hands.

Curling her fingers around one another Harley pushed her nails into the skin of her forehead as tears fought their way through the cracks between her knuckles, running over the backs of her hands and dripping to the floor leaving ever increasing dark circles in the dust. Rocking slightly back and forth the desperate woman felt her chest heave as she heard herself emit the most pitiful sound. As thoughts of Arkham and the fairground filled her head she relived the pain of his cruelty. Sob after sob the memories would not cease; feeling the rough reminder of her ordeal brush against the heels of her hands she felt her heart break. As the ground rushed from beneath her she instinctively pulled her knees to her chest and simply cried. Everything she had wanted had been taken away from her. Lost in her pain and self-pity Harley felt cold…so cold. Perhaps it was the hard tiles beneath her shaking body or simply the realisation that she had allowed herself to be violated in the most horrific ways but the young woman suddenly felt helpless. She felt alone.

Just when she thought the reality had her by the throat the pitiful woman felt the comfort of a well placed hand on her shoulder. The warmth slowly radiated though her chest infusing her sadness with some kind of relief. For a brief moment Harley saw the world clearly through her tears as her vision was filled with almost crimson light. Her soul leapt from the abyss and with it her body moved towards the warmth as Ivy took her into her arms. Turning her tear-stained face into Ivy's ample bosom Harley relished the embrace and succumbed to the comfort it provided.

"I don't know what to do," the blonde sobbed. "He hates me. He hates me so much…"

"Shhhh…" Ivy rocked slowly from side to side, as a mother would rock her child, gently running her fingers through Harley's hair. "Everything is going to be just fine Honey. Don't you worry."

"But…" Harley began.

"But nothing Sweetheart. Forget about him. It's for the best,"

Harley closed her eyes tightly, screwing up her face in the process as though the sheer thought of forgetting the Joker had left a bitter taste in her mouth. "I can't," she whimpered.

Looking down at the young woman Ivy ran her finger along Harley's jaw line coaxing her face upward. Brushing her thumb across the ridges in her cheeks she shook her head slowly, "My dear, dear girl, you're so young. Would you really forgive such a monster?"

Harley shook her head, "He's not a monster. I…I deserved this."

Pausing slightly Ivy sighed. She could see so much of herself in the young face beneath hers. Even though the girl was distraught, frightened by the ever-dawning reality of whatever had happened to her, she knew she wanted nothing more than to return to him. Resigning herself to her own memories Ivy brushed Harley's hair from her face and smiled, "This is not your fault Sweetie. None of this is your fault…you do know that don't you?"

Harley's baby-blues shifted slightly as her mind was filled with Jess' face. She was right…Ivy was right. None of this was her fault…it was Jess' fault. Everything that had happened to her had been because of Jess. The beatings, the punishment, the lessons…they were all, in some way, because of **her.**

Lifting her gaze to meet that of her new friend Harley felt the corners of her mouth tighten as her breathing deepened, "How do I…?"

"Get revenge?" Ivy raised an eyebrow knowingly. The younger woman watched as a broad grin stretched across the red-head's lips, "Leave it to me."

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><p>Massaging the bridge of her nose Jess tried to ease the tension in her brow as she slowly leaned forward to rest her elbows on her thighs. Groaning slightly from the pain she allowed her feet to slip over the edge of the gurney as she turned to face her colleague. Sitting on the floor with his back against the wall the bearded man allowed his head to fall back and opened his darkened eyes to watch her as she attempted to stand.<p>

"You should rest," he said flatly.

Judging by his tone Jess figured he had surrendered to the fact that he was probably not going to make it out of this situation alive. The fear had obviously subsided for now and he was subsequently left with the hollow feeling of realisation.

"I've already told you, if he wanted you dead he'd have already killed you,"

"Huh," he huffed, his expression never changing. "That's easy for you to say."

Jess smiled; he was right. Sighing she pressed her palm hard against her wounded shoulder. Although the Joker had managed to manoeuvre the bullet from the wound she was well aware that his efforts had caused more damage. The pain burned in her flesh and if she was completely honest with herself she was finding it increasingly difficult to lift her arm completely as the fire bolted through her chest each time she attempted to do so. Swallowing hard she stumbled towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

Leaning against the doorframe Jess turned slightly, "I need a drink, want one?"

"Are you serious?" he forced himself to his feet and frowned in disbelief.

Raising her eyebrows Jess turned back towards the darkened hallway, "A simple yes or no would suffice."

"Jess, you're not going out there,"

"Why not?" she challenged. "We've already established that he isn't going to kill me."

"But…"

Flexing the fingers of her right hand Jess winced slightly, "Just sit down and stop worrying. If you do everything he asks you'll be fine. Trust me."

The bearded man watched as she disappeared around the doorframe into the darkness, leaving him alone in the squalid room. Looking around himself he tried to sum up the events that had led him to this point. Closing his eyes he sighed heavily as he pictured his wife and daughter sleeping alone. In all honesty it wasn't the thought of dying that scared him, nor was it the method in which it could possibly happen…it was in fact the thought of leaving his family with no explanation or protection that scared him. That terrified him more than anything.

Feeling for the gurney he backed onto the hardened leather and began to cry; partly for his family but mostly for himself as his mind darted back to the image of Dr Brightside hunched over his desk, blood soaking through his files and leaving a distinct reminder between the tiles on the floor where the janitor had failed to scrub the grout clean. The memory jolted his stomach into his throat as he replayed the moment he had turned to peer into the old doctor's office to witness the atrocious act.

This was his fault. Jess Cunningham's entire ordeal had been his fault and his fault alone.

Shaking his head he tried to stop the slow motion replay of the glass-shard slicing through the old man's throat, spilling his life onto the desk. In that moment, that split-second, he had been forced to make the most important and terrifying decision in his life. He had, at the time, figured he had done the right thing by rushing into the room and alleging suicide. Surely given the circumstances anybody else would have done the same thing. Peering down at his dirty hands he could still see the glossy, crimson syrup pouring though his fingers and running down his arms as he had pressed his palms against the old man's neck desperately trying not only to save him but to also save himself as the present security guard called for back up. The only thing that had chilled him to his core more than the sight of the guard slitting his dear friend's throat ear to ear was the pleading look in Brightside's eyes as the lights faded behind them. At the time he had supposed that his friend had been afraid of dying but only now, while summing up recent events, did he realise he was scared for his family.

To his knowledge the attack had been unprovoked and that had seemed to make the attacker more dangerous. It had made sense to preserve his own life and deny ever suspecting anything other than suicide than to admit what he had seen, even after Jess Cunningham had raised her own suspicions. So many times he had wanted to tell her to back off but he knew if he had done so he would have been next. So he had turned a blind eye; not only to Jess' problems but to the random deaths within the high security wards. It had been safer that way. He just wished that Jess had not taken it upon herself to question the 'facts'. Never the less she had, and the powers that be had seen fit to ignore her disappearance knowing full well that it had been _their _orchestration. Max Gray had not been a criminal mastermind, he had been a pawn in a very cruel game of cat and mouse within the hierarchy of Arkham Asylum. His employment at the hospital had not been an accident. He also had been a victim of sorts. His family history had been acknowledged although it had been struck from his records. He had no doubt in his mind, however, that Max had not known the extent to which 'they' had pulled the strings. In the guard's mind everything had been his idea. It had been revenge for his brother. Only Dr Arkham and the faceless 'board' had known the truth…whatever that had been.

After witnessing Brightside's murder he had feared that they would come after him and if he was to be truly honest he had, at the time, been somewhat grateful for Jess' unorthodox handling of the Joker. It had in a way taken the focus away from himself. Of course when she disappeared he knew that for intent and purposes she was probably dead. Again he turned a blind eye. Every time he ignored the signs or revelled in the fact the ignorance was bliss he reminded himself of Brightside's demise. The thought was enough to keep his eyes on the road, so to speak…at least until it was apparent the Joker was missing. That was when 'they' had panicked. That's when 'they' had lost control. Max Gray had turned out to be a loose canon and 'they' wanted all evidence of the man destroyed.

Jess Cunningham meant nothing to 'them' but the Joker…now _he_ was a time bomb. If they were found to be responsible in any way for his release they knew he could bring the whole Asylum to its knees. He was dangerous in more ways than instantly apparent.

Slowly the thought soaked into his brain and the doctor realised that Jess was right to trust _**him**_. During her entire time at Arkham the Joker had been the one true constant in her life. The Joker was the sole reason she was still alive.

* * *

><p>Stumbling out into the night air Jess spied a lone clown standing guard beside the Ferris Wheel. "Where is he?" she breathed as she approached the masked man.<p>

The henchman looked her up and down before nodding towards the diner behind the wheel, "He's in there."

Jess nodded in acknowledgement and made her way over the broken ground towards the half lit building. Putting her weight against the mud caked doors she pushed her way into the familiar hideout to be greeted by another two masked men.

Both clowns turned to face her before the bigger of the two called towards the office, "Hey Boss, the doc's here."

Jess didn't wait for a reply. Instead she made her way between the fixed tables towards the open door of his 'sanctuary'. Each step brought back memories of the first time she had been in the diner, just after he had dared to kiss her. Not long after that she had received an ill-placed knife in the abdomen. As she rounded the doorframe she remembered the look of sheer terror on his face as he had realised that he had stabbed her and not Harley. Holding her hand to her bandaged stomach she stared directly at him.

He didn't look up at her straight away. Instead he just sat there silently on the edge of the desk twisting his beloved flick-knife between his thumb and forefinger whilst pressing the sharp point against his opposite index finger.

"You have to let him go," Jess spoke softly.

She watched as he pushed the blade back into its housing before tossing the knife simply to snatch it from the air and plunge it deep into his pants pocket. Almost leaping from the desk he cocked his head to the side and pushed at the corner of his mouth with his tongue, "Well…I don't _haaave_ to."

Jess' expression didn't change, "Joker."

"Hmm?" he feigned deafness as he approached her. She rolled her eyes as a sly smile pulled at his rough lips. "Oh come now Jester…I can't do _thaaa__**t**_…and you know it. Even if I wanted to…er, _**which I don**__**'t**_…he er, _he knows where we aaa__**re**_. I don't know about _yoouu_ but er…I…er, I don't think that would be such a great idea. _**Huh**_? Now what do you say we concentrate on the matter at hand huh?"

"Don't kill him. He's done nothing wrong," she noted the raised eyebrow before sighing. "I know he's been less than helpful, and he can be arrogant at times but he didn't ask for any of this."

"I'll consider the possibilities Jester…but only because it's _yoou_," he smiled. "Now, let me see."

Jess followed his outstretched finger and glanced down towards her shoulder as he slowly moved her blouse away from the wound to assess his handy work. Stepping closer to her he removed his glove before running his thumb over the tightly sewn wound. As his skin moved over hers she felt her breath catch in her throat. Turning her gaze to his face she clenched her teeth. Sensing her unease the Joker lifted his gaze to hers holding her attention there for a moment. An unexpected tightening of her stomach caused her a little discomfort and she feigned a cough. Turning his attention back to his efforts he sighed heavily. Jess could tell he was less than happy with his work.

"It's ok," she reassured him knowing full well that the intention fell well short of its intended mark, "you did all you could."

Huffing he nodded slightly before turning his gaze back to the angry stitching. The sight of the hard knots of cotton protruding from her skin worried him, it offended him. But his Jester was right, he'd done what he could, he'd had no choice. He couldn't have sent her to hospital like before, now things were different. She couldn't go back now…not at least until he had somehow proved the existence of Max. Sighing, the Joker turned away from her as his disappointment in his abilities caught up with him. For the life of him he did not understand why he felt the need to put things right for her but never the less he had to…unfortunately it was proving very difficult.

"You should put some whiskey on it…stop any infection," he almost whispered.

Lowering her gaze to the floor she recognised his change in tone. "If you hadn't come when you did I would be dead," Jess smiled. "Thank you."

The Joker pulled his glove back over his dry fingers before spinning on the spot quickly to face her, almost taking her by surprise. Curling his tongue around his front teeth he breathed in sharply, "No worries about **that** happening again."

The statement was flat, without inflection of any kind. Jess frowned as his tone bore through her, "I don't under…where is she?"

He didn't answer as he retrieved his trusty 'friend' from his pocket once more, gripping the smooth casing tightly.

"Joker?" Jess approached him quickly, pulling at his arm. "Where is Harley?"

As he turned to her he slammed the knife into the wood of the desk making her jump in surprise. "She er…she had to _leaaa__**ve**_,"his voice was low, almost a growl and quite disturbing.

Slowly Jess began to shake her head as she realised he had killed her, "She didn't deserve that."

"_Oh r__**eeeally**_?" he purred. "I disag_ree__**ee**_. _You see…_I am a **very** patient man but _that girl_ _**reee**__aally _pushed the bound_aries_. If you prefer Jester…_you can __**alwaaays**__ tell yourself that I finally put her out of her __**misery**_**.**"

Jess shook her head again as she turned to leave, "She was in love with you. You do know that? She would have done anything for you."

The Joker raised his eyebrows and extended his arms slightly to emphasise his point, "_Then she'll be_ _**happy**__ that she went __**out**__ with a '__**bang**__'_!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, I did intend to upload this earlier in the week however I have written and rewritten parts of it because I was a little disappointed with myself about it lol. Hopefully it is ok now and I really hope you all enjoy it. I think you will.**

**Also the uploader seems to be messing me around and not putting my page breaks in (we'll see huh? lol)...I can only apologise and hope that you notice the change if it's not there. Im sure you will cos I know you're all clever little monkeys xx**

**BTW in response to the question boy or girl, I had a little girl. Her name is Heidi-Mai.**

**Thank you for all your kind words.**

**K**

* * *

><p><strong>Everybody Hurts.<strong>

Gently pulling the door closed behind her Ivy listened for the click as the lock settled in the frame. Leaning against the wood slightly she raised both of her pale hands and pulled her hair firmly back into a messy bun. Slowly a satisfied smile stretched across her face as she closed her eyes and recounted an old recipe; a recipe somewhat close to her heart. Memories of a romantic meal flooded through her mind…a last supper of sorts.

_ The night had been warm; a typical southern summer evening where the sun stretched long into the day. She could still hear the crickets even now. Their shrill 'buzzing' a comforting constant in the background as she had carefully placed her best crockery at either ends of the rustic garden table. Adorning each place setting with a freshly pressed ivory napkin she had smiled contentedly, safe in the knowledge that tonight would be the night. She had spent the entire day chopping and peeling, gutting and basting…all for the perfect meal. She had taken the toasting champagne flutes used at their wedding and filled them with wine, all ready for his return from a hard days work. _

_ After bathing and preening herself she had slipped into new lingerie bought especially for the occasion and admired her self in the mirror. The night had been months in the making and she had wanted everything to be 'just right' – not that he would have appreciated her efforts. As the darkness crept through the tall grasses she had allowed two candles to take the burden of illuminating the proceedings and resigned herself to waiting patiently for him to arrive home._

_True enough as soon as he had entered the house, slamming the fly screen behind him; she had known that she had her work cut out for her. Sitting alone outside at the table, Pamela had waited for her husband to finish showering and complaining about his job and the traffic before he had realised that she was not within earshot of him. The man had helped himself to a beer before checking the food slowly roasting in the oven and then finally joining her outside. _

_Sitting cross-legged on the bench she had tried her best to catch, and keep, his attention. The plan had been somewhat successful as his eyes had worked themselves over her body and they had made love in the long grass._

_Of course the lovemaking had not been the main event, and as she had dished out the meal she had smiled at the inevitable ending to the night. She had then watched as he shovelled each forkful into his cruel mouth oblivious to the fact that each bite simply added to his demise. Pushing her own food around the plate aimlessly she had waited. With each breath she had prepared herself for the effects of the poison laced in the meat and vegetables. She hadn't had to wait long as his face began to swell and his breathing became laboured. Clutching his chest he had begged her to help him. She hadn't even reacted. Instead she had rounded the table to force more and more food into his wretched body. Grabbing her hands he had desperately tried to stop the torture and clawed at his throat as though the mere action would fill his lungs with oxygen. As he had hit the floor coughing and spluttering Pamela had watched with great curiosity as one by one each of his internal organs had slowly failed on him. She wanted to make entirely sure that the last thing he saw before his light was snuffed out forever was her smiling face. True enough the thought of no more beatings, no more cruel jibes or offensive insults had infused her pretty face with the most freedom-fuelled grin and she had worn it with pride. _

Running her hands over her hips Ivy snapped out of her memory and began about collecting the various ingredients for the recipe at hand. Moving silently between the resident vegetation she allowed the leaves to dance over her skin as she carefully weighed up the measurements in her head. Recounting each plant and its effects she calculated a tailor-made concoction simply for the plan. After Harley's small breakdown Ivy had gathered that the Joker was more resilient than most; that was to say that given the circumstances she had no idea how he would react to any one of the ingredients.

Ivy had learned a long time ago that killing people was easy…it was the getting away with it that was the difficult part. Her husband had been the first, but she had known him. She'd known his diet, his habits, and his medical history. Being a pharmacist had had its advantages and even to this day she had only made victims out of people she knew she had no choice but to kill, and to who's medical records she could gain access to. Still the fact remained that she knew nothing worthwhile about her target, nothing other than what the news channels had reported and that was the run of the mill stuff. Everybody knew _what_ he was and where he'd been for the last few years, however the fact remained that nobody knew who he was or where he had come from. The only one useful bit of information she had managed to acquire from her new friend was that in her time of knowing him, outside of Arkham, he had not used recreational substances of any kind. This was a plus. If nothing else she knew there were no chemicals in his bloodstream to counteract her efforts. She supposed this made it easier for her.

One by one she prepared the plants and mixed them together with her pestle and mortar, crushing and grinding leaves and stamen into a crude paste before adding water and making preparations to boil the mixture to concentrate the poison. Breathing deeply the redhead smiled to herself. She had not brewed this particular poison for a good few years. Recently she had taken to using a simpler, easier to obtain mixture which increased versatility. She supposed she could have done the same today but something in the back of her mind had worried her about using such a trusted method on him. Each time Harley had recounted his abuse she had felt her stomach tighten, almost as though she was unnecessarily anxious about something. Perhaps it was her need to protect her pretty little friend or maybe it was purely his reputation that had her wound so tightly. Either way Ivy decided it was better to play it safe and give him both barrels. After all, the last thing she wanted was to endanger Harley any further. She'd been through enough.

* * *

><p>Charging as best she could across the wrecked concrete outside the diner Jess imagined poor Harley, wherever she was, scared and alone with her explosive demise. Although she had no reason to disbelieve the Joker she clung to the possibility that he had been lying, and that in fact Harley was locked away in some other part of the fairground. Regardless of how much she wanted to convince herself that this was the truth Jess knew that although the Joker was many things, he was by no means a liar. The thought made her sick to her injured stomach. How could he destroy somebody who had done nothing but try to please him, in any way she could. It was times like this that she was brutally reminded of exactly what he was, a cold-blooded killer.<p>

"Wait!" his voice boomed in the darkness. She ignored him and continued stumbling through the night. Growling the Joker strode confidently after her before grabbing her forearm firmly. "I said…**wait**."

Staring directly into his black eyes Jess sighed heavily, "You really are a monster."

"What do you expect? I was _tiiired _of teaching her lessons…_**over**__ and __**over**__ aaand_…_you get the idea_. Besides, with her _haanging around_…ruining my plans I was distracted. And wouldn't you um, _wouldn't you rather I dealt with this annoying __**Maaafia**_problem?"

Jess pulled away slightly as she tried to dismiss the remark. The Joker waited for her to reply, "And how exactly are you _dealing_ with it?"

Smiling at the inflection in her voice the Joker released his grip and allowed her to move away. She had a point. Other than breaking her out of the prison transport he had not really done anything. To be honest the Mafia weren't really out for her, they both knew that. They were after him. Joker knew that the only way they could get to him was through her and while he had her here with him they were both safe. The question had been redundant but he got the point. Since he had saved her, again, things had kind of gotten out of control. Perhaps she was right…perhaps leaving the pathetic girl strapped to a rather large amount of C4 had been a little erratic.

Growling slightly he sucked the inside of his lips whilst fantasising about the many, more satisfying ways he could have rid himself of Harley. Better laid plans with much slower, painful ways of punishing her. Nevertheless it had been done.

"My point exa_**ctl**yyy_," he growled.

Jess shook her head and pressed her palm against the rough doorframe as she tried to steady herself, slowing her breathing in an attempt to slow her heart rate. Feeling her head slowly fill with blackness she recognised the warning signs of a blackout. Turning to stand with her back against the wall she slid to the floor slowly, bringing her knees to her chest as best she could. Sighing deeply she felt him approach her. Opening her eyes she focused on the series of dark crimson streaks slicing through the thick dust beneath her. Running her fingers through the tacky liquid she remembered the small body being carried from the building.

"Why did you kill her?" she heaved.

Crouching to touch her face and push her head back against the wall the Joker was emotionless, "_I alreeady told you_."

As he gently pushed her eyelids open wider to check her pupils Jess gasped heavily for breath, "The girl."

Desperately trying to focus on his steel-like stare as his face hardened before her, she felt weakness and fear suddenly wash over her. She was going to pass out. The corners of his mouth twitched as though he was trying to muster up an explanation…an excuse. She watched as the darkness in his eyes deepened and rendered her paralysed in front of him. Suddenly feeling unsure of herself Jess tried to turn away however found herself transfixed in his stare. The minutes seemed to drag as she felt her heart beat hard in her ribcage. Something wasn't right. As she felt her skin prickle with heat as her blood seemed to boil inside her she became aware of his increasing grip on either side of her skull as his fingertips dug into her hair.

Furrowing her brow she forced herself to break the silence. "Joker?" her voice quaked.

His vice-like grip eased off as he came back to her. Blinking hard he turned away and stood up slowly allowing one hand to linger on her hair. "She was a necessity," his voice was quieter than she was used to.

"In what way?" Jess breathed as she allowed her head to roll against the wall to look at him.

The Joker paused, "She was not part of the plan."

The usual hardness in his voice seemed affected in some way however in her mid-conscious state Jess could not discern what the difference was due to. Clutching at the wall behind her she attempted to stand only to feel the familiar blackness invade her head once again.

"You need to rest," he was looking at her now, "it seems your body can't take much more."

"I'm fine, just a little out of breath," Jess breathed. "I've spent most of my time lately laid down...or restrained. haha...I think my muscles have gone into shock!"

His painted grin stretched slightly and he reached out to her, allowing her to use his arm for support. "So it would _**seeeem**_."

Helping her back towards the room he thought about the kid. The sight of her small frame falling forwards on to the floor in a ragged heap with the wailing cries of the lap dog in his ears he felt guilt. Growling he tried to force the offending emotion from his mind as he looked at his Jester leaning into him in the dark.

"She was never meant to die," he spoke softly. Jess lifted her head slightly, acknowledging the comment. "I had no intention of killing _**eit**__her of them_. I mean…_what would have been the po**int**_? When _**I**_ left them they were _**both**_ breathing pretty well, then H_**aaa**__rleey_ went a little um…_**how should I put it**_?…**insane.**" Raising his eyebrow he waited for some kind of interjection from her but he was left wanting. "Hmm…the stupid girl beat the living shit out of Arkham. _Now I don't know about **yoouu** but** I** kinda didn't agree with that_…besides...what was I supposed to do? _Let the kid live with the image of her father's pulverised face forever burned into her memory?_ _I'm pretty sure you would have rather me __**end**__ the proces__**ssss **__**there**_…if nothing else, **what would Gotham do with another _MEEE_**?"

Jess felt his chest jump with a silent laugh. Turning her face to look at his she stopped, "You killed her to stop her becoming like you?" she frowned. "Are you kidding me? Do you expect me to believe that? Joker?"

Pausing slightly he licked his scars, "No."

"So what _was _your plan, _if you weren't going to kill them_?"

"I'm not a senseless _animal _Jester," he began shaking his head slightly as she pulled away from him. "No no no…**NO**! _There was a pl__**aaan**_. Of course there was! **_How else was I supposed to find out about the guard_**?"

Jess turned away, trying to piece it all together. Was he expecting her to believe what he was saying? Surely Harley couldn't kill a man in cold blood? "Why did she kill him?"

The Joker shrugged, "I would know that _becaaauuuuse_?"

Jess huffed, "**_I wonder_**?"

"Oh Jes_t__**eeer**_…it would seem I'm rubbing off on you," he noted the sarcasm in her voice. "Perhaps the tiny thread of hope she had finally snapped?" he laughed.

"Is that why you killed her?"

"Who? The kid?" again he turned away from her.

She frowned, "You really didn't plan this did you?"

He did not turn to face her, instead his voice dispersed into the darkness almost unheard.

"No." Jess heard him sigh as he seemed to finally justify his actions, "Every action has a reaction Jester…._you_ know that_. I_ know that. So tell me this…why the hell did **she **_**NEVER **_**GET ****THAT**?"

Jess jumped at the sudden increase in volume. All at once feeling very claustrophobic she moved backwards to the wall only to be caught between its cold hardness and the Joker's sudden fury as his apparent anger spilled over and he had her pinned.

"Tell me Je**st_eer_**…how many times would I have had to '_teach __**YOU**__ a lesson' _before _you_ _**got the poi**__**nt**_?"

The sudden change in his mood shocked her and she felt herself desperately trying to become part of the wall behind her. She hadn't seen this side of him for some time and now, out of the deceiving safety of Arkham Asylum she would be lying if she denied her fear. Something had flicked a switch inside him and Jess did not doubt it was her constant nagging about Harley and the girl. Whatever had happened in her absence it was apparent that he had lost control of his little lapdog, and that had been the apparent reason for her demise. Jess did not pretend to believe that he did not plan to kill Arkham or his daughter, she figured it had been the fact that Harley had took it on herself, for whatever reason, that had sent him over the edge so to speak.

In the darkness she felt him press his hand against her wounded cheek as he continued in a low voice, "Of course, we both know _you_ would not **require **teaching _now would you Je__**steer**_?"

"No," she breathed, feeling his hand move over her skin to her wounded collarbone where his fingers hovered slightly over the cotton of her blouse.

"_Hmmm…nooo_," he tilted his head and he inhaled the air between them. Hesitating slightly he felt her chest shudder as she anticipated his hand on her skin. Gently he moved her blouse to one side and ran his gloved fingertip over the raised edges of the bullet hole causing her to inhale sharply. Narrowing his eyes the Joker felt his blood surge through his veins as he remembered the feeling of her lips against his. Lifting his free hand to her jaw he coaxed her face towards him. Running his tongue over the rough scars either side of his mouth he allowed the coldness of her breath to spread along them, drying his abused skin.

Jess clenched her teeth as his hand pushed her firmly against the wall before releasing his hold over her slightly. Sensing his face close to hers she felt her chest shudder as her fear gave way to something much more frightening…want. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as the leather of his gloves warmed against her skin and she felt her nerves set ablaze as he moved closer, his jagged lips hovering over her parted mouth.

"No, my wonderful little Jester…_you_ are _faaar_ too clever to _ever_ need to be taught _anythi__**nnng**_," he breathed onto her lips. Feeling her back arch slightly he smiled broadly as her lips brushed against his, "_You…are…peeerf__**ect**_."


	6. Chapter 6

**Forces of Nature**

Washing her pale hands in the soil-streaked basin Ivy watched as the remnants of her toil swirled into the plughole. Sighing contentedly she turned back to the counter and smiled. Picking up the latest addition to her collection of potions and poisons she rolled the small glass bottle between her thumb and forefinger; admiring the dark ruby glow as the light filtered through it. The smooth glass warmed against her pale skin and she placed it carefully along side three similarly sized empty bottles before turning to a much larger bottle filled with a much thinner black liquid. Pulling the cork from the neck of the larger of the vessels Ivy proceeded to measure out exact amounts of the fluid into each of the empty bottles.

Pushing the larger bottle back into its place the redhead took two of the newly filled bottles and proceeded to make her way through the overgrown foliage towards an almost hidden wooden door behind her. Glancing about herself briefly she fished an old key from her pocket and pushed it slowly into the keyhole. Unlocking the door she glanced about herself once more before stepping into her 'secret' room. Allowing her emerald eyes to adjust to the dim amber light Ivy gripped the edge of a thick translucent rubber curtain. Pulling it to one side she pushed her way past the end of a large, sack-covered planter towards the faint glow of a thin green line darting across a dark monitor.

* * *

><p>"Where's the water?"<p>

Jess frowned, "What?"

"You said you were going for water," the Doctor continued. "Was there any?"

Shaking her head Jess sighed in disappointment. Turning back to the doorway she raised her palm half-heartedly.

"Oh…_**you**_ don't need water where _**you're**__ going_," the Joker emerged from the darkness before slowly pulling his pistol from his pocket. Waiting for the inevitable 'What do you mean?' he turned the weapon over, inspecting the chrome before wiping it across the front of his waistcoat. Satisfied with his buffing he waved it lazily at the bearded man and raised his eyebrows. "_Ah… come on." _

"What do you mean?" the man's voice was strong but somewhere deep in its core it cracked slightly, betraying his fear to the Joker's ears.

The painted man smiled, pleased with his powers of 'premonition'. "Well, even after _aaall sheee's been through _the wonderful Doctor _Cunningham_ here has protested your inn_ocen__**ce**_ and demanded that I…_le__**t**__…__**you**__…__**go**_," he groaned. "Against myyyy bet_**ter**_ judgment…I have…agr_eee__**ed**_."

Jess' eyes darted to his unenthusiastic face in disbelief before turning to her colleague. As her brow furrowed slightly a nervous smile pulled at her dry lips. Turning back to the Joker she began, "You're letting…"

"…_him go?_ Yeah! I know…it's _soooo unli__**ke**__ me_," he finished her sentence with widened eyes, nodding dramatically. "I can barely…ah…_baarely belieeeve it my__**self**_!"

His increasingly broad crimson grin worried her and she tried to shake the thought that his idea of 'letting go' was different to her own.

"Don't worry," the Joker purred as the bearded man approached the doorway. "I'm not going not _kill you_."

"I didn't…" he coughed.

Pushing his hostage into the enveloping darkness the Joker turned back to his unnerved Jester and grinned, "_I proooo__**misss**__e_."

* * *

><p>Pulling her newly softened hair into bunches Harley quietly wondered what on earth her new acquaintance had used on her to render her peroxide-abused locks so co-operative. Smiling as she straightened the hairbands she skipped across the worn tiles looking for her friend.<p>

"Ivy?" she chirped as she pushed her way through to the long counter at the end of the hot-house. Slamming her palms onto the wood she rocked forwards onto her tiptoes, leaning all of her weight onto the counter. "Hmmm."

Catching sight of herself in the dirty windows Harley turned her face from one side to the other, inspecting her wounds. Already the grainy discomfort had eased and the heat had begun to subside also. It was only a matter of time before the cuts would begin to heal. Smiling at her reflection she pressed one hand to the glass as if to caress her reflection lovingly.

Sighing deeply she turned away from herself and peered along the wood to the other end of the pathway. Ivy was nowhere to be seen. Pushing away from the counter she shook her head quirkily and skipped slowly along the length of the work top, trailing her finger tips across the worn planks towards the arrangement of glass bottles and jars. Narrowing her eyes the blonde attempted to read the hand written labels adorning some of the apparently older bottles, but to no avail. It wasn't the reading that was a problem, it was the words. Raising her eyebrows she presumed the labels were in a language other than English and shrugged.

Leaning forward she ran her finger over the dusty bottles, tracing a clean line across each one. Some of them appeared to have been stood in their position for years and a thick layer of brown dust had all but hardened over their once pristine glass. Allowing her gaze to fall to the apparently newer bottles before her Harley cocked her head to one side.

Standing away from the rows of large, dust-caked bottles lining the back of the counter were two smaller corked bottles. Slowly she picked up the blacker of the two and pulled the small stopper from it, lifting it to her nose. Her nose was met with a bitter, almost astringent smell that caught in the back of her throat making her cough sharply. Quickly pressing the cork back into the neck she put the bottle back on the side and proceeded to repeat the process with the second.

"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you Honey," had Ivy's southern lilt not been so soft her voice would have startled Harley.

"I'm sorry," the blonde panicked thinking she would be reprimanded as she placed the bottle back in its place. Backing away slightly she smiled nervously. "I didn't mean to…"

Ivy's gentle mouth melted into a soft smile as she carefully placed two empty bottles on the work-top. Harley noted the dark streaks on the inside of the glass and supposed they had been full until fairly recently.

"You don't have to apologise Sweetie," Ivy lifted a slender hand to touch Harley's cheek softly. "Just be careful."

Feeling relief loosen her muscles Harley smiled and turned to glance in the direction Ivy had just come from. "Where did you go?" she noted the bottom corner of a door behind a thick 'leaf-fall' of ivy.

"To tend to something special," the older woman answered smoothly.

"Something special?"

The girl's interest was endearing and Ivy felt a small spark of pride ignite within her stomach, "Yes. Something special."

"Can I see?" Harley started towards the door.

"No," Ivy answered flatly. Seeing the disappointment in the girl's eyes she turned back to the bottles. "Not yet. Perhaps when it's ready."

"Oh. It sounds very important,"

"It is," Ivy kicked off her shoes and stood barefoot on the terracotta tiles. "Important and fragile."

"Oh," Harley pretended to understand.

"Sometimes all they need is a little encouragement," the redhead motioned to the plants around them, "and other times they need a new means of surviving."

"Uhuh," the blonde nodded vacantly

Pausing Ivy noted the growing confusion on Harley's face. "Mother Nature is a powerful force. She alone has the all the tools we need to live. She provides us with nourishment, she provides us with warmth…she can provide the ability to kill…" she nodded to the bottles. "…or to cure. If you stop and listen she will give you the answers you need. All you need to do is listen Sweetie. If you listen, you can learn, and you can do amazing things."


	7. Chapter 7

** Facebook forward slash arkhamangelseries**

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><p><strong>The Glass Cracks<strong>

Jess felt tired. The events of the past couple of days had really taken it out of her. Pressing her palm to her forehead she sighed heavily and made her way over to the gurney. Sitting down she glanced over to the darkened doorway. The building was silent now and for the first time in a while she felt that she had well and truly been left alone. If truth be told, the last time she had felt so alone had been back in the shell of old Arkham. Of course she had been alone at times in the past few weeks but she did not doubt that she had never been truly on her own. Even when the doctors and police had not been tied to her she knew Batman probably had been. Leaning back on her hands she allowed her hair to fall as her head dropped behind her. Batman.

Closing her eyes she wondered where he was. Was he trying to find her? Did he already know where she was? Perhaps he was already here. Imagining him gliding through Gotham she leaned to one side and felt her way along the gurney to lie down. Twisting her body to fit comfortably on the angled leather she pushed her hair behind her ears as best she could and settled to try and sleep. Her shoulder hurt and so did her stomach. The Joker was right, she needed to rest.

As her body began to relax she let her mind wander back into the hallway. There, in the dark, she had seen part of him that she supposed had been lost a long time ago. The way he had reacted to her questions had surprised her. He had lost control. At least that's how it appeared to her. She had been genuinely unnerved by him. By his anger. Of course she had witnessed his temper before but this had been different. When she had witnessed him kill Max he had been relatively calm. Sure he had been fuelled for a fight and filled with rage but yet he had not been angry. This time in the hallway he had been the latter; angry. Jess wasn't sure what the anger had been aimed at but she was sure it wasn't her self. It was almost as though he had regretted killing the girl and now resented Harley for it. She of course had bared the brunt of his anger and although Jess prayed she was wrong, she did not doubt that by now the young woman was dead.

Pulling her knees up to her chest Jess attempted to shut the cold out of her core. Wrapping her arms around her knees she curled into a tight foetus and slowly drifted into a half-sleep. With her back to the doorway the dozing woman did not notice the masked clown come to stand in the frame, watching her. His filthy mask hid his humanity as his mouth lifted into a sympathetic smile and he quietly moved towards her with a blanket draped over his arm. Pulling a bottle of water from his boiler suit he set it on the floor beside the bed. Slowly he walked to the head of the gurney and gazed at the sleeping woman. Seconds merged into minutes as he watched her shiver every so often. Unfolding the thick, grey blanket he placed it loosely over her body then proceeded to carefully lift the raised end of the gurney slightly before pushing flat. As her position shifted Jess' eyes snapped open to glare at the clown before she realised she was now covered. Smiling she settled once again, pulling the blanket to her chin and closed her eyes.

_Slowly he came to her through the darkness; the cool leather of his gloves running softly over her prickled skin. Feeling the rigidity of the wall at her back she anticipated his lips pressing against hers. Her breath hanging between them as his hand held her in position she longed for a break in the tension…but it never came. The darkness enveloped him and the moment was gone, he was gone and she was asleep._

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><p>"Walk," the Joker prodded the Doctor with the barrel of his pistol, causing the man to stumble forward over the uneven ground. "The slower you <em>waa<em>_**alk**__,_ the longer thiiis is gonna _taaa__**ke**_."

Rolling his eyes the Joker paused, scuffing the smooth leather soles of his brogues on the rough, broken concrete. Sighing he waited for the Doctor to regain his footing before continuing behind him through the tall grass towards the distant lights of Gotham. Narrowing his blackened eyes the painted man observed the constant dipping of the bearded man's head as he continually misplaced his feet and fell in all directions. Huffing slightly in amusement he allowed his hostage to walk further in front of him as he reviewed the incident in the hallway.

He had scared her, although she would never admit it. As he had touched her face he had felt her trembling breath against his skin and her fear had been drawn into him, waking dangerous feelings; feelings that had no place being there because of _**her**_. It had taken all his strength to turn away. All his strength not to grip her throat and hold her there till her heart stopped beating. She had no right making him feel so…so much like himself.

"Stop," he said flatly waiting for the Doctor to stand still. "Turn arouuund."

"Please," the man raised his hands in pathetic protest.

"_Pleease_?" the Joker questioned mockingly. "Uh, _please __**what**_?"

"Please, I have a family,"

The Joker raised his eyebrows and swallowed hard. Pursing his lips he leaned forward and furrowed his brow, "That matters to me _becauuuuse_? Oh, wait. _Are you saying I should er…__**pay them a visit**__?_ I mean…uh…_don't get me wrong_, I would looove to ah…**'**_**drop by'**_ but _believe it or not_….I ah…I have **better** things to do at the mom_e__**nt**__. Can we uh_…can we take a **rain check**?"

The Doctor's face froze in fear as thoughts of the Joker taking his family painted themselves vividly in his mind. Trying to force his heart back into his chest he breathed deeply, "Joker…"

Before the man could continue the Joker pressed his pistol to his lips, forcing his mouth open he pushed the barrel further inside. Feeling the terrified man's teeth slide over the chrome he smiled widely, "On your knees."

In the moonlight his hostage stared at the shining grin and felt his heart sink. He was going to die. Feeling his mouth begin to fill with saliva the kneeling man attempted to swallow. Sensing his discomfort the Joker rammed the gun into the back of his throat forcing his body into a retching heaving panic. Tears rolling down his dirty cheeks he attempted to back away, if only to get his breath. The Joker took his hostage's need as an opportunity to enforce more dominance over him and kicked him to the ground. Feet either side of the downed doctor the painted man grabbed his shirt and dragged his upper body towards him, forcing his head back – exposing his throat.

"This'd be _**eeea**__sier_ if you pl_ay__**ed**_ **nice**," he growled, crouching over his chest. The man nodded frantically with terror in his eyes. "Now be a good little boy and do as you're told. _**Stop…fighting!"**_

The doctor gagged as his torturer grabbed the back of his head and pulled him forward, forcing the weapon hard into the back of his throat. Choking on the metal he stared into the blackest eyes he'd ever seen. Laid under the madman he finally understood why he wore the make up; it wasn't a disguise, it was a tool. It forced his victim to look at him, to see him. Even in the darkness he could not look away – he could still see his face, bright in the darkness like a demon. The ghostly white make-up burning into his memory like a childhood nightmare; this was going to be the last thing he ever saw. His face was the last thing they all saw; those whom he had chosen specifically as victims.

This was not the Joker he had read about, not the insane clown he had admitted to Arkham years before. This was a different monster all together. This was the real killer. Not so much of a joker but more a cruel, ruthless and vindictive predator. A man who knew he had power, and that was what he craved; the power of holding the lives of his victims in his hands. Everything else was superficial. Everything else was for the effect the mass panic. That was the joke. The mass panic. It was all for Batman. This, this was the real Joker. This was the real sadistic, controlling, painfully vicious murderer – the scary reality behind the headlines and the explosions. This was the man behind the myth.

"Max Gray," the Joker snarled. The gagging man nodded quickly, tears streaming down his face. "You covered it up."

Desperately shaking his head the bearded man coughed and spluttered his protests, "No no no."

"No? Then **_wheeere is he_**?" the Joker hissed.

"Mmm dnnnn nnnnn,"

"**WHERE IS HE?**" pulling the pistol from his mouth the Joker pressed it firmly against the doctor's forehead.

Panicking, the man sobbed, "I don't know! He wasn't there. He wasn't there."

Suddenly standing upright the Joker cocked his head to the side, allowing the pistol to hang loosely at his side. Thinking for a moment he frowned gravely, "Wasn't_ theeere_?"

The doctor nodded nervously, "It was out of my control. I assumed they'd taken him. I went to the ward. There was nothing there. Nothing at all. Within a day it was being demolished. I swear to you Joker…I swear to you, I tried to help her. There was nothing else I could do. They'd already taken him…he wasn't there!"

Suddenly the Joker's brain set ablaze with thoughts of conspiracy. He already knew Dr Arkham had nothing to with it. After all the man would not have lied after being shown his daughter at the hands of his henchmen. Thinking deeply the Joker raised his gaze to stare intently at his hostage. Slowly things fell into order...some kind of strange, dishevelled order. In the Joker's distorted view of the world his mind made sense of it.

Biting his lower lip hard he allowed his eyes to focus on the shaking man, "Go."

"Wha…?"

"Before I change my mind," the Joker turned away slightly. "Get out."

He didn't need to be told twice. Scrambling to his feet the Doctor ran as best he could through the chewed up fairground towards the safety of the city leaving the Joker with his thoughts.

Peering back over his shoulder towards the fleeing man the clown ran his tongue over his teeth and sneered, "_Wheee__**re**__ aaa__**re **__**yooou**_?"


	8. Chapter 8

**'Arkham Angel Series' on Facebook**

**Again...pagebreaks? lol**

**Please note READER DISCRETION is advised for this chapter due to adult content**

**The Domino Effect.**

Glancing around herself as best she could Harley took in the cool night air. Allowing it to fill her lungs she smiled and listened to the night. A soft breeze played amongst the leaves of the tall, black trees bringing with it the soft hum of the traffic of Gotham as it rolled endlessly along the highway, and somewhere close by Harley could hear the high-pitched squeak of a bat as it darted through the darkness catching insects.

Taking Harley's hand in her own Ivy led the girl through the bushes and across the damp grass. Humming quietly to herself the redhead stopped occasionally to caress the leaves and tend to various stalks and winter blooms.

"See how nature takes care of itself?" Ivy smiled as she pushed the base leaves of a small shrub to one side to reveal a tiny array of flowers. In the moonlight it was hard to see their colours but Harley presumed they were a pale blue like the summer sky.

Tilting her head to the side she sighed, "I wish nature would take care of me."

Ivy turned to the melancholy girl and leaned close to her, "She is Sweetie. She led me to you didn't she?"

"I guess," Harley lifted her gaze to meet that of her companion. "I just wish things were different, that's all."

"Different how?"

The blonde thought for a moment, offering the basket she was holding to Ivy as she laid long stems in it. "I want him to want me," she gazed lazily at the growing collection of plants in the basket.

The older woman stood upright, "Oh Honey. He doesn't deserve you. And you certainly don't deserve him."

"Huh?"

Ivy continued to add cuttings to her new collection, "He left you strapped to a bomb."

"He only did that because of _her_!"

Green eyes looked at her sympathetically, "I said I would help ya Honey."

"Huh…_can you kill her_?" Harley remarked flippantly.

"Yes," the answer was plain and simple but Harley still found herself asking Ivy to repeat it. "I said yes. I can kill her…if that's what ya want, that's what you'll get."

Harley's eyes widened in disbelief, "It's not that easy. He protects her. She's like a pet...as long as she's around he wont even _look_ at me. Hm. She's only there because everybody's after her."

"Everybody?"

"Uhuh. The police want her, Batman wants her, the Mafia want her…huh, it's only because she knows where we…where he is!" the younger woman snarled bitterly.

Ivy smiled to herself in the darkness, "So do you."

"Yeah…" Harley was confused for a moment before the implication sunk in. "I couldn't…I couldn't do that to him."

Raising her eyebrows Ivy shook her head, "He thinks you're dead Honey. How would he know it was you?"

The very thought of betraying the Joker made Harley feel cold inside as her stomach twisted uncomfortably, "No. If I do that, they'll kill him. And, and…then what would I do? _She's_ the one who's the problem. If it wasn't for her he would want _me_…he'd love me. Like I love him. Ya know what I mean?"

Ivy hummed sceptically, "How exactly do you plan on going back to him Sweetie?"

"Er…" it hadn't occurred to her that he may be less than happy to see her again after leaving her strapped to a significant amount of C4. "I….I don't…I can't. I can't go back can I?"

The subtle pain in her voice seeped into Ivy's better judgement, "Perhaps killing her isn't the answer. Suppose you were to help him…help her."

"Help her?" Harley frowned. "Why?"

"If you did something that affected her safety, something that would change his need to protect her…perhaps he wouldn't be sooo…"

"Angry?"

Ivy smiled and reached out to touch Harley's chin gently with her fingertips, "He may even be grateful."

A broad grin stretched across Harley's ripped cheeks, "Dya think he'd love me?"

Sighing the redhead turned away, "Perhaps."

The bottle-blonde giggled eagerly, "What should I do?"

"That's easy: simplify the equation. Remove one of the problems," Harley's silence implied she didn't fully understand. "Take down the Mafia and the rest will follow. If you think about it the only reason the police are after her is because they want_ him_, but I'm sure he can deal with _them_ himself,"

Harley thought for a moment. She was right. He didn't care about the police; he was only bothered about the Mafia finding her.

"She killed a guy," she stared blankly into the darkness. "He wont let her go till…"

"Then we send a distinct message. A message they will never forget!"

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><p>Statuesque in the moonlight the Joker stood silently contemplating what would be the lesser of two evils; wreak havoc on Gotham tearing the city brick from brick trying to find Max, or stay here and do nothing until he was sure he was still alive. Either way somebody somewhere knew he had been taken from Arkham after he himelf had made a break for it. The doctor had been suprisingly honest with him about the asylum. Somebody had wanted Max gone, but whom? Surely there was more to this than simply the guard's lack of sanity and self control? Even the Joker assumed that the faceless 'they' were not stupid enough to simply employ a man with no history to provide security within the walls of Arkham. They must have known…and if they did know about his brother then…<p>

Slowly a sly smile pulled at his scarred lips. Max had told him the truth…in part. Of course the guard had developed an obsession with the doctor, but the whole ordeal was a ploy to get to _him_. _He_ was the target. Max had been employed intentionally to kill _him_. Jess had simply been a catalyst. She was a victim of circumstance. She was a mistake. The whole ordeal had been an embarrassment to 'them' and 'they' had dealt with it.

Turning his head to stare at the darkened hallway to his left the Joker breathed deeply. Sucking his tongue loudly he growled at himself. Too long had he sat on his laurels and let time pass by. Too long had he let other people do his dirty work for him…and look what that had got him; a dead teenager, another in a coma, an employee of Wayne Enterprises tied up in a store cupboard, the only possible source of credible information bludgeoned to death by the dumb lapdog and an executed kid as a result of it. No, it was time he took matters into his own hands. It was time for Gotham to pay the price for the misdemeanours of the asylum.

Slowly he made his way to he darkened building; each footstep coupled with a fantasy of fantastic violence.

Resting his gloved hand on the doorframe he peered into the only lit room at the sleeping woman curled up on the gurney. His Jester. Watching her sleep he remembered the sight of her pretty blue eyes rolling back into her skull as she had begun to pass out in the abandoned ward.

Now standing beside her he pulled his 'old friend' from his pants pocket and gently ran the blade over her cheekbone down towards her jawline. As the sharp edge caressed her skin she moved sleepily against it, almost daring him to apply pressure. The sensation roused her slightly and she groaned quietly before frowning as her eyelids flickered open.

Shocked slightly at the sight of him standing over her so closely Jess recoiled, quickly pulling away from him, "What are you doing?"

Pushing her hair from her face with his knife he almost smiled, "He wasn't there."

"What?" Jess frowned wearily.

"Max," the Joker watched as her frown deepened. "Your _won**der**ful colleague_ checked the old hospital after we left. Max was not there."

Sliding her legs over the edge of the gurney she rubbed her forehead, "I don't understand. He can't just disappear. I saw you kill him!"

Gripping the handle of his knife the painted man sighed heavily. Running a gloved fingertip over the edge of the blade he turned his attention to the dirt smeared metal, "You were a mistake."

"_Mistake_?"

"They hired him knowing full well who he was. _I'm guessing the plan was to kill **meee**_. You just…_got in the way_,"

Pushing herself up from the gurney Jess moved away before turning to look directly into his hazel eyes.

"They knew?_ He..._knew?" the corners of her mouth struggled to stay level as the realisation of what he was saying struck her right in the chest and she fought with the growing anger inside herself. He didn't answer. "This was all…they hired Max purposefully to kill **you**?"

"Well they _knew where to look_…and aah…they took him from the ward _before_ it was demolished," his voice was flat and emotionless.

Jess lowered her gaze and thought for a moment as everything that had happened to her flooded through her mind. The recollection of her abuse brought tears to her eyes and as the offending liquid poured down her face onto her blood-stained blouse she began to panic.

Pushing his knife back into his pocket the Joker watched as her mind ran away with her and she began to hyperventilate. Clearing his throat he stepped towards her and took her in his arms. Gripping the back of her head he pressed her face against his torso allowing her increasing terror to dampen his waistcoat.

The last time he had seen her in such a state he had made the ultimate decision to save her life. He had helped her then but now as he held her against himself he felt helpless. Not only did he not know how to console the woman but he knew where her mind was running to, after all he too had had the same thought on more than one occasion in the past half hour.

"Oh my God," she sobbed, pulling away from him slightly. "Oh my God! **_What if he's not dead_**? What…what…"

"He's dead,"

"No…they never found him. He…he could be **anywhere!** Why would they take a dead body? They would have just left him. Oh…Oh no! Joker…?"

Breathing deeply the Clown Prince stared blankly at her as his fingers curled into tight fists, gripping her blouse and her hair. "They would have incinerated him," he said dryly.

Jess scrunched her eyes closed as if to force the fear out with her tears. Shaking her head slowly she lifted her face to look at him, "Then why would they knock the place down and risk people seeing the blood in the debris?"

"The chances of…"

"That's not the point!" she snapped. "You don't know! How can you know for sure?"

The Joker paused for a moment, "_I'm good at what I __**doooo**_."

Jess shook her head helplessly. Her panic had subsided and now she was calm; still crying but calm. "He could be out there," her voice was small and weak. "It's never going to stop is it?"

"What?"

She gazed through her tears at the thick visceral grin spanning his grave face. Although the bright smile stared starkly back at her his lips did not share the 'joy' of the make up.

"Even if he is dead, it's never going to stop," blinking slowly she felt her chest shudder in his embrace. "He's always going to be in here…I'm never going to forget what he did to me. I may as well just give up...I can't do it anymore."

Tilting his head slightly the Joker loosened his grip on her head and slowly ran his fingers through her hair, "If you give up then he's won."

Roughly wiping her eyes with her arm she sighed heavily, "What's the point Joker? I can't keep pretending that it's ok. Nobody believes me. When this is all over I'm still going to go to prison, you can't keep me here forever. They're going to get to me. One way or another I'm not going to win. Give me a good reason why I should try."

Running the tip of his index finger over her healing facial injury he smiled. Moving his face close to hers he paused for a moment expecting her to pull away. As her breath slowly warmed his grease-painted face he noted the slight trembling of her hands on his chest.

"Because you are better than we are," he whispered

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he pressed his scarred lips against hers. Memories of the night he took her from the charity ball filled her head as she welcomed the comfort of his kiss. Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention her heart began to pound in her chest. Leaning into his embrace she was helpless. She knew she should pull away; every fibre of her being was screaming that this was wrong but she did not have the strength to stop it.

Sliding her hands up over the harsh green fabric of his waistcoat Jess allowed her fingers to rest on his neck and jaw, feeling the rough skin under the make up she surrendered to him. His mouth was hot on hers and as they relaxed into one another she felt the tip of his tongue run teasingly over her bottom lip. Parting her lips further she welcomed him into her mouth.

Still locked in their kiss the Joker guided her backwards to the gurney. Pushing her back onto the leather top he ran one gloved hand over her blouse down to the hem of her skirt. Fumbling with the material he pulled away from her. Placing the tip of one of his fingers between his teeth he slid his hand out of his glove, allowing it to fall to the floor. Returning his hand to her skirt he slid his open palm under the thick material, running his fingers up over her pantyhose he felt her hips writhe slightly as a wanton moan escaped the blonde's throat. After pulling the second glove from his hand he began unbuttoning her blouse, gently running his fingertips over her chest to the top seam of her bra he leaned into her, once more pressing his lips against hers. Lifting her hips he pressed himself against her firmly. Sliding her hands down his back Jess tugged firmly at his shirt pulling it from the waistband of his pants as best she could considering the suspenders holding the faded purple slacks in place. The Joker was quick to offer assistance and swiftly unzipped his fly before returning his fingers to the seat of her nylons. Pulling at the thin material he forced a hole so as to touch the skin beneath. As his fingers caressed the very top of her inner thigh she felt electricity running though her very being. Every cell of her body was on fire, burning with utter wanting. Arching her back she pushed against him revelling in the sheer physical pleasure of his hands on her body. Gripping at the silky back of his waistcoat she curled her fingers into the fabric pulling his body closer to her. Losing herself in the passion of his kiss Jess allowed her tongue to adventure into his abused mouth exploring his teeth and the flesh of his cheeks.

Pushing her down onto the gurney the Joker shifted his weight to support himself on his knees. Gently running a single finger over the crotch of her panties he knew she wanted him. The damp cotton was easily moved to the side as he pressed his palm against her and he slowly slid two fingers inside her. His hand was enough to force her hips towards him and as she reached up to pull his face back to hers her breath caught in her throat.

Pulling his face away a little the Joker gazed down at his Jester. Her eyes were closed and if it were not for the excitement fuelled rosy complexion she would have appeared to be sleeping. Her long blonde locks were strewn around her face and a light mist of sweat had formed across her cheeks. Looking at her now, beneath him, he almost didn't want her. The fear of overstepping the line was upon him like an overbearing parent. He felt the tension in his neck increase as the aching in his groin demanded satisfaction. Firmly taking hold of himself the Joker pushed into her. Pulling her hips up to him he gave himself to her completely.

The warmth of her spread through his abdomen like wildfire as her body surrendered to him. Gripping her shoulders hard he struggled to contain the long forgotten knot of lust and excitement literally clutching his heart to the point that he thought his chest might explode. Feeling her grind her pelvis against him he began to thrust in to her, hard. Each thrust forced a powerful growl from his throat and as the gurney slowly rocked back and forth he listened to her satisfied moans; confirmation of the success of his efforts.

Pushing the back of her skull into the padded trolley Jess concentrated on the feeling of him inside of her. Every thrust felt as though he was trying to break her and on more than one occasion the psychologist thought the trolley would topple over. Gripping the seat of his pants tightly Jess pulled the Joker sharply to her. The sudden force of her and the depth of him inside her made the Joker growl deeply. Grabbing her hair suddenly he pulled her head back exposing her throat to him. Grinning he ran the tip of his tongue over the veins in her neck, barely touching her skin, down over her collarbone to her breasts. Firmly gripping one breast he began to kiss and caress her. Each kiss and touch made Jess sigh and moan with pleasure. Moaning loudly she opened her baby blues to gaze at the manic mass murderer making love to her. Every part of her body slowly began to coil tighter and tighter as she recognised the familiar sensation of her orgasm approaching. Lifting her knees and pulling her shins firmly towards her she tilted her hips towards her lover allowing him to drive deep inside her.

Noting her increasingly quickening breathing the Joker smiled at her. It felt good to be inside her and he knew te feeling was mutual. Regardless of anything else that had happened apparently they both needed this…wanted this.

As he watched her face flush red he felt her suddenly relinquish her self to her climax. Gripping her hip firmly he pushed himself deeper inside as the tidal wave of ejaculation took him over the edge and he finished aggressively digging his fingers into her skin as an animalistic growl emanated from his throat.

As the waves of pleasure subsided the Joker pulled away from his Jester, standing to redress himself. In contrast Jess lay motionless with her arms above her head, her blouse open exposing her glistening bosom. Pushing his hair back from his face the Joker took a deep breath and turned to her. Noticing the greasy smears of white and red adorning the woman's face, neck and breasts he smiled to himself. Placing his palm on her wrist he ran his hand over her forearm before stooping to retrieve his gloves from the floor. Waiting for her to acknowledge him he peered towards the darkened hallway.

Stepping towards the darkness the painted man stopped and turned slightly before announcing, "I have to ah…I have to put things _riiig**ht**_…_Je__**st**__er,_ I hope you can forgive me."

With that he was gone and Jess was left alone once more. Staring at the dirty ceiling she tried to slow her breathing as the creeping sense of worry gripped her by the base of her skull.

Forgive him? Forgive him for what?


	9. Chapter 9

**Again...pagebreaks. I apologise but it is not my fault lol x**

**Showtime**

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth the Joker interlaced his fingers, ensuring the soft leather of his gloves fitted securely on his hands. Biting his lower lip he glared through the darkness towards the dilapidated concession stands. He was going to have to make a difficult decision. He knew what he needed to do, and he knew how to do it, but something in the back of his mind kept tightening the screw of uncertainty. Breathing deeply he started across the cracked concrete to the broken down kiosks. It was time to revert to type. He was sick and tired of playing the good guy. Besides it was getting him nowhere. Glancing back in the direction he had just come he thought about her. He did not doubt that she was scolding herself for her weakness. Not just the intimacy, if he could call it that, but for her outburst. His recent insight into her inner self had revealed a much more sensitive and vulnerable person to that which he was used to. The mere prospect of Max had reduced her to a neurotic mess.

Memories of another life suddenly invaded his thoughts and he barely noticed his feet skimming the careless bricks and rubble littering the once pristine pathway. He empathised with her terror. Max would have made a good killer if it hadn't been for his stupidity. The man had been too proud of his abilities, too sure of himself. The Joker himself knew only too well that pride did indeed come before a fall, not that it had ever bothered him. He had no care for consequence, nor any need for it. That was why he had been regarded as the most dangerous inmate in Arkham. They did not know how to deal with him. His biggest downfall was their biggest fear.

Perhaps that was the attraction for him? His wonderful Jester did not fear him. At least not like the rest of the world. If she did fear him she obviously feared Max much more. He found the irony of a security guard instilling more fear into her than his own self quite amusing. Smiling at the thought he dwelled on the memory of her terrified face, taped from her cheekbones to her chin; the life draining from her slowly as the demented guard had forced her into a corner. Even then as he had watched her slowly fading she had fought back. Somewhere she had found the strength to defend herself; she was a remarkable woman. She reminded him of so many things he had strived to forget.

Stopping to lean on the unhinged door the Joker drummed his fingers on the mould-ridden wood. These memories did not sit well with him and the uncertainty of Max's whereabouts was tampering with his ability to make a 'rational' decision. For the first time in his life he was about to figuratively emancipate himself. He was not afraid of his imminent actions, or their consequences. However he was convinced that the result of his endeavour may prove more than distasteful in his Jester's eyes. In the end he would prove either way how and why Max had disappeared. It was the concept of his own failings that worried him. All logic told him that the man was dead but the doctor had made valid point. How could he know for sure?

* * *

><p>Sitting cross-legged on the floor Harley watched Ivy begin to divide her cuttings into separate groups before tying each bunch with twine and fixing them to the old metal plant-rack above her. The rack seemed positively ancient and Harley wondered how the rusting bolts securing it to the ceiling managed to keep it safely in place, especially since the entire length of it was full of old plant pots and various glass bottles.<p>

Twirling the ends of her pigtails around her fingers the blonde peered up at her auburn haired companion, "Are you really going to kill them?"

Ivy did not answer. Instead she ran her gaze over the shelved bottles before her. Noting the single clean line etched into the dust adorning each one she smiled. The childlike act amused her and she supposed it was just like Harley to do such a thing.

"How are you going to do it?" the girl continued as Ivy plucked a tiny vile from behind the first collection of bottles on the bottom row.

Cleaning the yellowed label with her thumb the redhead's smile stretched further. "This," she waved the bottle effortlessly, "is a simple concentration of oil extracted from the seeds of a particularly poisonous plant."

"Poison?" Harley's eyes widened with interest.

Ivy turned back to her bottles, "Did you know that the preferred method of murder for a woman is poison?"

"No," Harley got to her feet, sliding the soles of her shoes across the tiles towards Ivy. Leaning her weight onto the heels of her palms she rocked forwards over the counter top.

"It took me so long to perfect this," Ivy continued. "It's easy to poison someone, doing it well is hard."

"Oh…"

"Getting away with it is harder," Ivy raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. "You see, if you put the poison into food you run the risk of leaving evidence…unless you use something that will be slow to act. Even so it's messy, and not to mention unreliable and out of the question in this instance."

"Huh?"

Glancing at her 'student' Ivy saw the veil of confusion rest on the blonde's face. Smiling she continued, "The Mafia are difficult to deal with at the besta times, trying to kill their top dog is nigh on impossible. Food as a weapon will not work. Me however…"

Harley's brow furrowed wrinkling her nose slightly, "I don't understand."

"Honey, a woman's best weapon is her body. Men are weak. There are no exceptions. They either want to have you, or they want to be you. Either way they are easily manipulated. They like to think they are in control, our best plan is to use that arrogance to or advantage," uncorking the bottle the pale pharmacist pressed the tip of her little finger against the rim of the neck. Sufficiently tipping the vessel to allow a small amount of the oil to cover her fingerprint Ivy placed the bottle back on the side. Lifting her outstretched finger to the light she continued, "Now this is how you do things properly."

Harley watched in disbelief as Ivy placed her finger in her mouth and sucked the poison from it, "I thought that was poison?"

Ivy grinned broadly, "It is. I've been doing this a very long time Sweetie and I would be lying if I said I had had no accidents along the way, but the long and short of it is that little by little I have repeatedly exposed myself to the fruits of my labour. Little by little I have allowed my body to become accustomed to the poisons. Of course that's not to say that a large dose wouldn't kill me but I could certainly tolerate much more than anybody else."

Harley was speechless for a moment. Blinking hard she smiled, "You've killed people before?"

Ivy did not answer. Instead she smiled and gently re-corked the bottle before slipping it into her pocket.

"Not all poisons kill Honey…Oh, I made you something," motioning to the black filled bottles the redhead paused for a moment. Lifting the custom serum from the counter she held it in front of the scarred woman. "If I don't come back then you always have this. Give it to her. She'll be dead within 3 hours…of course you'd run the risk of his wrath but if you can get away with it…"

The younger woman took the bottle from her friend, "Thank you."

"Remember, only if I don't come back,"

Harley nodded and watched as Ivy closed the main door behind herself. Gripping the bottle of poison in her hand she smiled broadly as a strange warmth infused her body with excitement. Finally she had a means of getting what she wanted…and she had permission to use it, if Ivy's plan failed.

Spinning back to the workbench she slid the bottle across the wood to join the collection of vessels lined up against the wall. Chuckling to herself she stretched her arms either side of her lowered her chest to the counter pressing he cheek to the wood. Sighing contentedly she began to fantasise about finally killing Jess. All she had to do was wait. Of course Harley wanted Ivy to return but deep in her soul she wanted Jess Cunningham dead and nothing was ever going ot take that away.

Quickly standing upright she turned to start back to 'her' room. Swaying lazily from side to side she weaved her way through the plants. Things were finally looking up.

* * *

><p>Kicking the storeroom door open the Joker reached in and grabbed the bound man by his collar, dragging him out onto the path. Pushing the hostage roughly to his knees he kicked him sharply in the chest.<p>

"It's times like _theeese_ that I'm glad I didn't kill **you**!" the Joker jeered as he ripped the tape from the man's mouth.

"You wont get away with this Joker,"

Feigning concern the painted criminal leaned towards his prisoner. Pursing his lips dramatically he lowered voice, "_Oh I beg to diffee__**errr. **_You see I **know** I'm going to get away with this…and you're going to help _meeee_."

"You are sorely mistaken if you think…"

"I suggest you listen _carefully_…Mr Fo**x**," the Joker purred menacingly. "I'm going to let you go."

"Let me go?" Lucius was suprised.

"I know! _I seem to be doing this a __**lot**__ lately…_but there _iiiis_ a _**catch**__. _ I need a _faaa_vour…" he started to slice through Lucius' restraints before snapping his knife back into its housing. "You have the time it takes me to get to _**Gotham…General**_, so suggest you run little Fox…run **run**! _Aaaaall the way back to Brucie_! Oh…and aaah…_he miiight wanna dress __**up**__ for the occasio__**nn**_! Ha ha ha _haaaa_!"

Watching Bruce Wayne's trusted colleague running as best he could over the broken ground towards the lights and the contrasting safety of Gotham the Joker breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the brisk night.

"**Time to start the show**!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Facebook...Arkham Angel Series**

**Poison and Party Favours**

Pulling a twenty from her purse Ivy turned back to the taxi. Reaching through the driver's window she stuffed the note into the motionless man's shirt pocket. Smiling to herself she lifted her face to the stars and sighed contentedly. Making her way along the darkened street the redhead ran her fingers through her auburn hair and gently adjusted the straps of her evening dress. It was going to be an interesting night, for her at least.

Clutching her purse she turned onto the main street and headed towards the town hall and the waiting paparazzi. Pulling her shoulders back Ivy strode confidently up the large stone steps to the grand wooden doors at the entrance.

"I'm a little late," she smiled at the tuxedoed man and began rummaging through her bag. "Oh for crying out…I seem to have forgotten my invitation."

"Sorry Ma'am, I can't let you in without it,"

Ivy lowered her head to stare pointlessly into her open purse. Sighing she shrugged her shoulders and began to cry, "I'm sorry. It's just my car broke down and my shower broke, then the cab took the wrong route…and now this. My boss is gonna be furious with me. And my dress cost me a fortune!" she raised her arms helplessly motioning to the dark green velvet cascading to the floor.

The young man looked at her with sympathy. "Ma'am," he leaned forwards slightly and lowered his voice. Noting the low neckline of her dress he tried to avert his eyes before clearing his throat. "I um…I'm really sorry."

"I know I know Honey. It's my own fault," Ivy turned to leave. "Oh my…I guess I'll have to brave them again."

Glancing towards the idle news vans and hovering reporters the man sighed heavily. Biting his lower lip slightly he turned to peer at the open doorway behind him before gently clearing his throat again to attract Ivy's attention. As the woman turned slowly to peer at him with worry in her eyes he dipped his head slightly, "Who did you say you worked for again?"

Ivy's red eyebrows furrowed slightly as she recoiled slightly, "Excuse me?"

The guy took a step towards her, "I could always check my list…perhaps you are a plus one?"

Lifting her chin slightly to elongate her neck the redhead flicked her hair back over her shoulders and swallowed slowly, "Basingstoke Pharmaceuticals."

The tuxedo ran his finger over the list and smiled. Taking a pen from his inside pocket he carefully ringed a name before applying a tick next to the final column. "If you don't mind, I will need you to sign," he handed Ivy the pen.

Grinning gratefully she read the circled name: Professor Brady plus one. Basingstoke Pharmaceuticals. Running the end of the pen over her bottom lip Ivy allowed the tip of her tongue to play with the small silver button before twisting the thing between her lips leaving a slick smear of clear lip gloss over the end. Slowly stretching her smile across her pale face she nodded thankfully signed 'Pamela Isely' in the final column.

"Thank you so much Darlin'" Ivy breathed, "You are an absolute life saver!"

Tucking her purse under one arm the redhead strode unaffected through the large doors into the light foyer. Weaving her way between the red velvet ropes towards a second set of doors she smiled slyly, noting the large painted banner strewn between two of the marble columns.

'_67__th__ Annual Policeman's Ball'_

The thought of olden-day officers attending the Hall in their 'Sunday Best' seemed to amuse the flame-haired woman as she arched one thin eyebrow.

Stepping from the light foyer into the darkened ballroom Ivy glanced about herself, time was short. The less people saw her here the better. Studying the numerous faces amassed in the crowds she made her way slowly through the throngs of people and out onto the wooden boards of the dance floor. Brushing her hair from her face she smoothed the clinging velvet to her hips and adjusted the asymmetrical ruffle running from her right shoulder to the very top of her left hip where the material parted into a floor length split exposing her long, lean, tattooed leg.

Many of the guests were already drunk as they swayed lazily about on the dance floor with their wives and mistresses in the sparkling light from the glitterball hoisted high into the rafters. Ivy smiled. There he was. Carlotti. She recognised him from the business pages of the broadsheets. Without his trademark hat he was harder to notice had it not been for the thick beard adorning his jawline. Sipping champagne from a flute his eyes flitted over the women in the room despite the pretty brunette draped over his left arm. The woman was too thin for the black cocktail dress hanging on her frame and Ivy could see the tell-tale prominent hipbones of an anorexic model wannabe.

This was going to be like taking candy from a baby. The hard part was going to be getting away, what with the room full of police officers. Humming quietly to herself Ivy quickly made her way to the arrangement of long buffet tables at the far end of the room. Picking up a small plate she edged her way along the line towards the huge glass punch bowl at the very end. Clicking her purse open the redhead discreetly palmed the small bottle before gripping the plate with her fingertips. Carefully uncorking the vessel beneath the plate she leaned over the bowl to reach for a bread roll, tipping the bottle sufficiently in her palm to pour a little of the thick poisonous oil into the liquid. Flicking her wrist sharply she stopped the flow of oily fluid and placed the bread on her empty plate. Turning away from the table she swiftly replaced the cork beneath the plate and breezed across the room to the restrooms.

Slinging the plate onto the sandstone washbasins Ivy released the half empty bottle form her tensed palm before locking herself in one of the stalls. All she had to do now was play it cool and wait.

Sure enough not ten minutes had passed before the main door of the restroom swung open and Ivy heard the panicked clicking of high-heels on the tiled floor as somebody forced her way into next stall and promptly vomited violently. Twisting the glass vile between her thumb and forefinger the femme fatale smiled sickly before pulling a gold compact from her purse followed by a 'nude' lipstick. Slicking the colour across her parted lips the redhead pouted and smiled at herself. The lipstick was followed by a clear coating of gloss before she carefully began to smooth the thick oily poison over the make up.

Narrowing her eyes Ivy inspected her handiwork as the blackness faded to a deep green iridescence on her lips. Applying another coat of the toxin to her mouth she re-corked the bottle and clicked her purse closed before wedging it between her ribs and arm once more.

No sooner had she put her slender hand on the handle of the restroom door than she was thrown backwards briskly as three more women burst into the toilets and promptly began vomiting. It was time.

* * *

><p>Gripping the edge of her makeshift bed Harley swung her feet back and forth. She was bored. She was impatient. Ivy had been gone two and a half hours now and Harley had no idea where she was or what she was doing. Perhaps she was dead. As the thought made the scarred woman panic slightly she clenched her fists. She was tired of waiting. How long was it going to take? Surely her new friend would have been back now had everything gone well?<p>

Drumming her fingers on the mattress the bottle blonde raked her bottom teeth over her top lip in frustration. Glaring at the door she breathed deeply, almost daring her self to get up and go. After all how long was she expected to wait before she could act on her own initiative? Jumping down from the bed Harley slid across the dusty tiles into the hothouse and pushed her way through the foliage towards the windows. Peering at her grubby reflection she tilted her head from side to side and inspected her scars as best she could in the dark glass. They had improved dramatically since Ivy had given her the Aloe to run over them.

Smiling painlessly Harley spun around on her heels before winging her way through the tall plants touching the large waxy leaves with arms outstretched either side of her body like a child pretending to fly. The plants were cool to the touch in contrast to the surrounding air and Harley found it a little comforting. Spinning like a top the childlike woman tripped on the raised edging of the flowerbed causing her to lunge forward dramatically attempting to rectify herself before she hit the flaking wall through the cascading leaves.

"Oops," Harley laughed to herself as her hands slapped against the cold painted bricks. Turning swiftly to press her back against the cool wall she rolled her head to the side and stared at the protruding doorknob to her right. Sliding her hands over the powdery paint she rolled across the wall and pressed her palms against the old door. Stepping forward slightly the girl pressed her ear to the worn wood straining to hear. Nothing. Wait…as she listened the hair raised on the back of her neck as the faint muffled sound of a distant high-pitched beep repeated over and over again. Frowning Harley dropped to her knees and closed one eye to peer through the old keyhole.

The room was fairly dark save for the faint green glow of what seemed to be a heart monitor at the far side of the room. Harley strained to see past the thin rubber curtain blocking her view of the entire room. It was no use. She could see something to the right but she had no idea what it was. Whatever the thing was, it was big.

"Hmmm," the blonde stood upright pursing her lips as she turned to glare over her shoulder towards the long wooden counter. A clever smile spread across her face and she quickly skipped to the worktop. Searching beneath the counter Harley emptied baskets and boxes desperately trying to find something to unlock the door with. After all if Ivy was dead then she had a right to know what she was sharing a 'home' with…didn't she? Suddenly her arm was ablaze with pain as a long metal skewer pierce the palm of her hand. "Jeez!"

Pulling the stick from the box she eyed it carefully. It was not dissimilar to a knitting needle but Harley figured it was something to do with seeds and plants. Perhaps Ivy used them to support young plants as they grew and matured into stronger, more established bushes and trees? Scrambling for another the girl grinned. Licking the blood from her hand she quickly skipped back to the door, needles in hand. Pushing one skewer into the lock she felt carefully for the movement of the pins within the mechanism. As each one clicked into its correct position she felt the excitement twist inside her like an elastic band. The last pin popped and the door moved slightly in its frame. Using the other skewer for a kind of leverage Harley twisted the foiled lock in its housing and pushed the door open.

Taking a deep breath the blonde slipped into the darkened room and slowly gripped the curtain blocking her view, slowly pulling it to the side. As the room revealed itself to the ex-intern she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Oh... My…"

* * *

><p>Taking stock of the situation unravelling around her Ivy breathed deeply and allowed the chaos to spread throughout the punch-drinking guests. The symptoms spread very quickly and the redhead secretly felt proud. As more and more guests began heaving and retching, she silently made her way across the dance floor to Carlotti. Briskly grabbing his wrist she took him by surprise. As he turned to her she forcefully pressed her lips against his, encouraging his mouth open with her enthusiasm. The man did not disappoint and she held him there as the poison coating her lips seeped into his mouth slowly.<p>

Tasting the bitter oil on his tongue the Mafioso pulled away sharply, "What the Hell?"

Running his tongue over his poison slicked lips he frowned gravely. He opened his mouth to speak again but no words came out. Ivy watched as the colour drained from his face and his eyes grew dark. She was impressed. The poison had taken rather quickly. Staying just long enough to witness his mouth begin to foam as his throat closed in on itself she noted the dark lines spreading through his skin as his blood suddenly stopped in his veins. Dropping to his knees he clutched at his chest as his heart failed.

The brunette stood staring at the dying man in terror before raising her chocolate eyes to meet the burning emeralds in Ivy's. Shaking her head the skinny woman tried to back away but Ivy was too fast. No sooner had she gripped her wrist than she had pressed her lips against the red lipstick pout of the terrified model-wannabe. Pulling the brunette's hair forcing her head back the older woman stared at her pretty mouth before running her pale finger over her own lips and pushing the poison-smeared digit into her victim's mouth, pressing it firmly against her tongue.

The woman's brow furrowed as her mouth dried out and her throat began to close. As her eyes darkened Ivy leaned in to kiss her once more. Feeling her lengthened last breath against her skin Ivy released the girl's hair dropping her to the floor before turning and leaving unnoticed in the chaos.

* * *

><p>Closing the door firmly behind her Harley gripped the handle tightly. Breathing fast she tried to slow her heartbeat. She was sick of waiting…and besides she was not going to wait here. Not now! Shaking she pushed through vegetation to the array of bottles. Slinging the skewers back into their box she grabbed the inky bottle and darted out of the hothouse into the cool night. This was it. Given her recent discovery she had no choice…she had to kill Jess.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**Hush Little Baby**

Ducking into the empty elevator the Joker stood with his back to the doors and waited loosely for the next riders to enter the carriage. Straightening the lapels on the stolen white coat he pulled a stethoscope from one of the deep pockets. Cocking his head slightly he assessed the number of passengers accompanying him. Turning swiftly on his heels he thrust his 'old friend' into the base of one young porter's skull, immediately twisting the blade in its wound thus severing the man's spinal cord. As his paralysed body slumped to the floor an ever increasing pool of blood spilled out onto the vinyl.

Wrapping the rubbery length of the stethoscope around one young female nurse's neck he pulled the instrument tight around her throat and plucked his pistol from the inside of his jacket. Lifting the barrel to the second nurse's forehead he pushed her back against the buttons.

"Stop the lift," he growled.

The terrified woman pushed the 'STOP' button grinding the elevator to a halt.

"Please," she begged with tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat, "Please don't kill me."

"_Oh_?" the Joker raised his eyebrows and brushed his hair away from his washed face with the gun. "And ahhh, _what about your __**friend**_ here?"

The pretty woman stared at the swollen face of her colleague as the natural pink beneath her make up darkened and slowly turned to blue. Tears welled in her eyes as thin, red spider webs stretched across them. Clutching at the black rubbery cord cutting into her neck the perishing woman desperately tried to pull it free as she choked and spluttered into unconsciousness. Feeling her knees give way the Joker yanked the cord tighter and stepped towards the quaking survivor. Forcing the distressed woman against the cold, brushed steel of the elevator wall he clumsily dragged the limp body of her friend across the blood-slicked floor and moved his offensive face close to hers.

"Where's the Maternity Ward?" he purred, pressing his forehead against hers.

Visibly attempting to pull away from him the nurse panicked. Shaking her head from side to side she tried to hold her breath as if the action would still her fear.

Dropping the lifeless nurse to the floor the Joker repeated himself, "_Wheeere_ is the _Mateernity Waa__**ard**_?"

Blinking hard the nurse resigned herself to her tears, "Third floor, to the right. Left at the first juncture then straight on."

"There there," the fake doctor ran the muzzle of the pistol over her skin from her temple to her chin, tracing the edge of her jawline with the hard chrome. "That wasn't too hard was it?"

Reaching behind her he pressed the 'STOP' button once more allowing it to pop forward. Slowly the elevator jerked back into life and he turned to rifle through the dead nurse's pockets. Pulling her ID card from her dress he ran the plastic between his naked fingers, examining the photograph and information printed starkly on the front before turning it to run his thumb along the black magnetic strip on the back. Smiling to himself he waved his pistol towards the buttons. Instinctively the living nurse pressed '3'.

Shifting her feet slightly to avoid the increasing crimson pool staining her white canvas pumps the terrified woman fought with her eyes as she desperately tried to look away from the scarred man before her. Not daring to look at the slumped bodies of her colleagues her pupils darted feverishly from his scarred lips to the illuminated numbers above the doors.

Finally the lift stopped, the doors slid open and the Joker breezed out into the bright hallway. Fresher air rushed into the carriage disturbing the coppery taint lingering around the shaking woman. Burying her face in her palms she sobbed loudly and slid to the floor, past caring about the blood staining her uniform. Gripping her hair tightly she rocked forward on her feet, slamming her knees onto the vinyl. The doors slowly began to close. She was safe now.

Suddenly a worn leather brogue slammed between the doors quickly followed by a white sleeved arm. No sooner had she turned to look at the outstretched arm than the shot rang in her ears as the bullet hit her square between the eyes.

* * *

><p>Placing her purse down on the wooden counter Ivy noted the untidy boxes beneath the worktop.<p>

"Harley?"

Kicking the wooden cases back against the wall she began to make her way along the length of the counter before catching sight of the bottles to her left. Frowning, the redhead mentally recalled the arrangement _before_ she left for the ball. Stooping to unbuckle the thin straps of her gold sandals Ivy's emerald eyes focused on the single label-less inky bottle standing amid the many larger bottles. Kicking her shoes across the dusty tiles the pharmacist snatched the bottle from the side and held it before her self.

"Harley?" gripping the bottle tightly she paced into the side room, desperately looking for her friend. Nothing. Feeling her blood surge through her heart she gritted her teeth hard. "Harley!"

Returning to her collections of poisons and potions Ivy pushed the small vessel across the wood to rest with its companions. Hastily plucking numerous bottles from their places and wiping their labels with her pale slender thumb she searched for something, something important. Dismissing three or four bottles she dragged a small bowl from beneath the counter. Quickly pouring a small amount of green fluid out of a medium sized bottle from the very back of the collection she added three drops of another fluid, this time a deep red liquid. Stirring the mixture gently Ivy glared at the bottles interspacing the various pots and tools above her head in the metal racking. Settling her stare on a small bottle, no more than an inch in height, labelled '_Calabar Bean Extract'_ she grinned. Pulling the bottle from the shelf and tucking it in her bra she breathed deeply.

"Oh Honey, why couldn't ya just wait?"

Composing herself slightly Ivy took the bowl in hand and turned to stare at the cascade of ivy hanging from the roof. Pouting a little she strode towards the wooden door plucking the old key from her bra. As she slid the key into the lock the door clicked open surprising her. Tilting her head a little the redhead recollected her previous visit to the room. She had definitely locked the door. Somebody had been in here…Harley had been in here.

Sighing she pushed her way into the darkened room, past the thin rubber curtain to the small set of drawers nestled in the corner of the room between the wall and the heart monitor. Searching through the top drawer carefully she placed a sealed syringe beside the bowl. Peeling the backing paper away she pushed the needle from the packet and gently attached it to the main syringe and submerged it in the bowl. Pulling back on the plunger she watched carefully as the barrel filled with the purplish liquid. Lifting the dose up to the dim blinking green light of the monitor Ivy carefully depressed the plunger, expelling the air bubbles from the syringe before recapping the needle and placing the injection beside the bowl.

Moving to the 'bed' Ivy closed her eyes momentarily before carefully checking and rechecking the various readings on the screen. Turning her attention to the tall IV stand she slowly ran her fingers along the clear tubing to the cannula before peeling back the adhesive webbing and swiftly removing the apparatus entirely.

Assessing numerous pipes and tubes she shook her head, "I'm sorry Baby…I know it's not time."

Retrieving the syringe from the drawers she deftly uncapped the needle and administered the dose. Stepping back to dispose of the injection in a 'sharps' bin she turned her back to the monitor. Returning to her 'baby' she stooped to increase the flow running through the breathing apparatus. Suddenly she was knocked off her feet and slammed hard against the far wall. Lifting her head Ivy strained to catch her breath as tremendous pressure was applied to her throat. Grasping at the drawers to her left she grabbed a small atomiser and quickly released the aromatic spray. Immediately the pressure released and she tried to slow her racing pulse. Peering up through her lashes she smiled warmly and reached to comfort her scared 'child'. Running her hand over thick tubes inserted into rough skin she sprayed the perfume once more, "Now that's a good 'Baby'."

* * *

><p>Sliding the plastic card through the security lock the Joker pushed through the double doors into the dim nursery. Lazily striding between the numerous cribs he stared at the small sleeping bundles. Trailing the barrel of his gun along the plastic rims of the cots he skipped slowly along one row, then the next. Pulling stuffed toys and greetings cards from the small beds he read the messages of love and snickered to himself dropping each memento onto the floor.<p>

Such a pointless act; a declaration of loved to a newborn…as if they could understand or appreciate the sentiment.

Licking his scars he began pointing the gun randomly at babies, "_Eeny meeny…miiineey…__**mo**_**!**"

With perfect timing red lights began to repeatedly bath the hospital with dim light and an alarm rang through the hallways. Left, right and centre doors unlocked and people began evacuating the building. The Joker's smile stretched into a broad toothy grin as the nursery doors flew open and two nurses burst in.

"Hell_ooooo_ ladies," he extended his arms in welcome. Both women froze. "Oh now, there's no ah…no reason to be afraid. _Hehe_. You see…_I'm just waiting for my fri__**end**_."

"Please," the first woman ventured, "we need to get the babies out…there's a fire."

Feigning surprise the Joker pursed his lips, "Come now…we aall know that isn't true."

"Please, don't hurt…"

"_Please don't hurt_…." he mocked her tone. "What? _**Them**_?" Waving his gun towards the cribs he stepped towards a sleeping boy, "_Now who do we have heeere_? Ah…Leo. How nice. Pity…I really didn't want a boy."

Pressing his pistol to the baby's forehead he narrowed his eyes. Gently squeezing the trigger he smiled widely. This was fun.

The nurse pleaded again, "Please. Let them go. Please!"

"If you move…I'll make sure you can't live with yourself," he purred.

"They're just babies!" she raised her hands.

'**BANG!'**

"**NO!" **

The shot rang out through the ward like a crack of thunder startling the infants into a screaming choir of cries.

"Oops…guess she didn't listen," the Joker mused staring at the flaccid body sprawled on the tiles. Turning to Leo he roughly lifted the boy to his chest and bounced him gently to comfort him. Staring at the remaining nurse he grinned widely and replaced the muzzle of the gun near the baby's temple. "Now…_I'll say it __**again**_. Move and I'll make sure you can't live with yourself."

The nurse nodded frantically. Shaking she blinked hard trying to swallow the figurative dry rock in her throat. Terrified she watched him pace around the cots over and over again still clinging to the baby. Each minute seemed to last an eternity and the longer the ordeal went on the more obsessed the woman became with the increasingly jelly-like consistency of her legs. Petrified to collapse she prayed to God that she would not fall. Lost in her prayers the nurse almost jumped out of her skin when the gruff voice split the atmosphere between her and the Joker.

"Put the baby down Joker,"

"Fiiinally he gets here!" the madman guffawed. Turning his attention to the nurse he raised his eyebrows and grinned, "Oh ah…you can go now honey."

The woman didn't need to be told twice.

"Put the baby down!" Batman growled.

"And what if I don't? What will you do? Huh?" the Joker scowled sarcastically. The question was, of course, rhetorical and Batman's silence amused him. "Besides, I didn't come for a fight."

"Why _did _you come?"

"He's alive," his voice was humourless and his dark eyes were deadly serious.

Understanding him instantly the Dark Knight questioned his sources, "How do you know?"

"I was told," the Joker answered flatly. "By the time I find him they'll have already got to her. She needs you…_**I **_need you."

Batman moved between the first row of cribs, stepping over the slumped body of the nurse, "What do the kids have to do with it?"

"Kids?" the Joker was slightly confused. Pursing his lips dramatically as he thought about the question he furrowed his brow dramatically, "Oh…_**theeese **__kids_? Er…nothing. But how else was I supposed to get your attention?"

"Fox told me where you're hiding. Pretty obvious…even for you Joker,"

Raising an eyebrow the maniac half-smiled, "We both know you knew where I was. _But you never come to visit anymore_."

"Give me one reason not to go to Gordon,"

"Her. I know we have our fun but deep down you and I are the same,"

"I'm nothing like you!"

"Really?" the Joker said quizzically. "And here was me thinking that dressing as a six-foot flying rodent wasn't the most normal of hobbies…not to mention the whole vigilante thing. I mean, when you think about it Bruuce, you're more screwed up than I am."

The Caped Crusader's expression did not change, "Hardly."

"_I guess it depends what turns ya on huh_?" the clown laughed before quickly changing his tone. His voice was, again, low and serious. "If I am right and Max is indeed aliiive then he **will** come for her. Gee that guy is seriously screwed up. Talk about the nuts running the asylum…"

"I've searched for him,"

"Search harder,"

Batman raised one dark eyebrow. The Joker was giving him orders. He was scared; he had lost control of his own game. The vigilante was fairly sure that his foe was afraid for Jess not for himself. "The only lead I had was a dead end. You saw to that," he stated gruffly.

"_Meeee_?" the Joker was surprised at the accusation. "If you're talking about the woman and kid…that had nothing to do with _me_. Poison's not really my thing…just not enough **fun** in it!"

"But you know about them," it wasn't a question.

"I know who the President is, doesn't mean I voted for him. I ask one thing: if you find him, _and I am sure you will_, he's _**miiine**_!"

"Why not hand him in?"

The Joker's face set like stone, "I made a promise. _Somebody once told me that a little __**trust**__ can go a __**long**__ way…__**I **__trust you are good with your hands huh_?"

Batman frowned, "What?"

"CATCH!"

As the infant sailed through the air the vigilante dived over the cots, clearing the lot to grab the baby and land unevenly at the back of the room. Quickly checking the baby for injuries he turned to face the Joker but he was gone. Carefully placing Leo back in his crib and covering him with a blanket he noted the single Joker card pinned between the mattress and the side of the crib. Turning the card in his hand he read the thin black words scrawled on the back,

**'_I will not let him kill her'_**


	12. Chapter 12

**A Step Too Far**

Feeling her way along the splintering boards Harley silently searched for the loose planks that would grant her access to the fairground. Silently pushing them aside she stepped back into her previous home with unease. Standing alone in the dark the blonde gazed at the stars above her, a million diamonds set out just for her. Smiling to herself she fantasised about sliding a diamond-studded halo onto her ring finger. Losing herself in the dream she imagined him smiling at her, wanting her, loving her. The thought of his affection warmed her heart; how she longed for him. And deep down, somewhere inside she knew he longed for her.

Ivy was wrong about him, he wasn't a monster. She had deserved the lessons. She knew she could be difficult. He was just trying to teach her how to be better, that was all. He didn't mean it. The only reason he was so angry was because of _**her. **_If Jess Cunningham hadn't gotten in the way everything would be fine. He would want her.

Gripping the inky bottle Harley smiled slyly. This was her chance, her opportunity to do what was right, her only opportunity to end it…to end _her_. Of course she knew he would probably be less than happy to see her, after all the last time she had been with him he had been extremely angry with her. Even so everything that happened was because of the doctor. If it hadn't been for her the Joker wouldn't have such an obsession with Max Gray and he wouldn't have kidnapped Arkham and Rebecca. That's what had brought them to where they were. Jess' inability to just leave them alone had been the cause of her very own betrayal by her man. Although common sense tried to convince Harley that being strapped to a jacket full of C4 was more than a lesson, she just could not rid herself of the feeling that it was all just a test. He just wanted her to prove her loyalty to him, nothing else.

Rolling the bottle between her palms the naïve woman closed her eyes briefly. It was time to stop worrying about his so called Jester and deal with it…deal with her. Besides, Ivy had told her to do it. She had instructed her to give Jess the poison if she did not return…and she had not returned. Regardless of whether Ivy's plan had worked or not Jess had to die. There was no other option. Like Ivy had said, he probably thought he'd done away with her and so she had the perfect alibi…she, Harleen Quinzel, Harley Quinn, was dead. Whether or not the explosives had been a test she had not yet returned to him, and although Harley liked to believe that he would miss her she knew that he would ultimately forget about her. Either way she was certain that she could not let him see her here. Regardless of their recent past she knew that he would certainly stop her from getting to Jess and that was just not acceptable given the circumstances. After all, both herself and Ivy had gone to such great lengths to ensure things went to plan; Ivy by mixing the poison for her and herself for creeping back into the fairground.

Pushing her way through the tall, debris-strewn grass the vengeful woman picked her steps carefully. Making her way towards the Ferris Wheel she silently assessed the numerous henchmen patrolling the grounds. Ducking behind one of the great anchors securing the wheel to its concrete fixtures Harley peered over the raised platform and watched the diner for a few minutes. Glancing in the direction of the outbuilding housing the 'wonderful' Doctor Cunningham she took a deep breath before slowly weaving her way through the wreckage of the park to the darkened doorway.

Careful not to attract attention to herself Harley crouched in the darkness trying her best to become invisible. All it would take was one clown to spot her and she'd be done for; they would take her to him and the lessons would start again. Although she knew the lessons were necessary the need for them did not outweigh the fear of them. She may not have been the brightest spark in the box but even she knew that he could be unrelentingly brutal. Lifting her fingers to touch her healing face she stared at the diner blankly. She wondered what he was doing now that she was gone. He was probably sat at the office desk planning some great attack on the anxious city. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with Jess and Max hi game would have progress much further. She knew he liked games, she had read about him before coming to Gotham, about how he often forced his victims to make impossible decisions for his own amusement. He was a spectacular human being and he fascinated her. Maybe, in time, her feelings would be reciprocated. Until then she just had to play the hand that she'd been dealt…a hand that apparently did not include a Joker.

* * *

><p>Sitting with her head in her hands Jess internally chastised herself. What the hell had she been thinking? She hadn't been thinking at all and that was the problem. If anybody ever found out about what she had done her life would be over. For weeks she had been playing hardball trying to get the world to understand that she had no connection to the Joker other than the fact that he was her patient in Arkham - and now, here she was, reeling in the aftermath of having had sexual intercourse with him. What on earth had possessed her? Him…that was what. Just when she had thought she could not take any more he had given her comfort. In hindsight it was the worst decision she could have made but in all honesty Jess did not feel that a choice had actually been made. It was a cliché but it really had 'just happened'.<p>

The thought of his hands on her skin repulsed her but the memory of it outweighed the disgust. She had enjoyed it, every moment of it. She had needed it. In hind sight he had possibly been the single worst person to have slept with but it was too late now. Far too late. After weeks of trying to cope with the repercussions of her ordeal at the hands of Max Gray in Arkham she had finally hit the wall. After fighting to stay afloat in the turbulence that was her life one conversation had brought the tidal waves crashing down on top of her and she had lost the will to defend herself. She had lost her composure and above all she had momentarily lost her mind. She had allowed the Joker not only to see her truly broken but she had also let him in. She, a perfectly intelligent woman with a white collar job, had let a renowned serial killer in. Shaking her head she scolded herself slapping the heel of her hand against her forehead.

"Idiot!" she hissed not for the first time. Since he had left her all she could do was replay the night's events, over and over. With each recollection the knot inside her abdomen tightened. She hated herself for what she had done…but yet she didn't regret it. Confused by her own confusion she resigned herself to the simple fact that it was wrong and they both knew it.

Sighing Jess unscrewed the cap of the water bottle, closing her eyes she finished the last mouthful of refreshment and set the empty plastic container beside her on the gurney. Gripping the back of her neck firmly she attempted to stretch her back. Taking a deep breath she opened her eyes.

"Jeez…" she jumped, shocked. Greeted with the sight of Harley standing in the doorway Jess tried to calm her pulse. "I thought he'd killed you."

Harley smiled broadly, "No."

Jess returned the gesture and stood to welcome the prodigal woman, "Does he know you're here?"

"No," Harley repeated herself flatly.

Jess stared at her. Wherever the girl had been she had been well looked after. Perhaps, even after all the turmoil and abuse the Joker had put her through she had finally landed on her feet. Fate seemed to be on her side somewhat.

"You have to leave, Harley. Go while he's not here,"

"Go? Why would I do that?"

Jess frowned, "Harley, he thinks you're dead…it wasn't an accident, it wasn't a game, he wants you dead. He will kill you if he finds you here!"

"He's not going to find me here," the younger woman cocked her head to the side and stared menacingly at her companion, her victim. "By the time he comes back it'll be too late. Then he will realise just how much he needs me."

Noting the dark bottle in her hand realisation dawned on Jess like a bucket of cold water on a winter's day. The notion swept over her in an icy wave making every hair on her body stand on end.

"Why are you here?"

"To finish it," Harley grinned. "You'll be thanking me later _**Jes**__ter_!"

Slightly unnerved by the girl's sarcasm Jess took a deep breath. Although Harley was slightly shorter than herself Jess knew that underestimating her was a bad idea. She was smiling but something was amiss, something just wasn't right.

"If Ivy gets her way then you'll be begging me to do it!" the younger woman sneered.

"Ivy? Who's Ivy?"

"A friend," Harley started towards Jess slowly, physically intimidating her.

Unnerved by her visitor's odd behaviour and new-found confidence Jess backed off, refusing to turn her back on the girl. Harley had returned a different woman. She knew what she wanted, she had obviously been given the means to achieve her desires and her baby blues were dark with malice.

"Harley…"

"Don't you call me that! You think because I wasn't here that you could have him all to yourself? Well you're wrong!" the words were full of venom as the anger inside her grew.

Lunging forward quickly she made a grab at Jess' hair; catching a good handful between her fingers she almost ripped the strands from their follicles. Jess' cry caught in her throat as her head jerked forward. Instinctively clutching Harley's wrist the natural blonde attempted to release the pressure on her scalp.

"I don't…" Jess growled.

Kicking her legs from under her Harley pounced forward knocking the doctor off balance. Panicking, Jess grabbed Harley's arms to steady herself receiving a strong punch to the face in return. Losing her grip slightly Jess stumbled backwards clumsily, knocking into the lonely gurney.

"Shut up!" Harley lowered her voice and hit her again. Grabbing Jess' jaw she forced her onto the floor hard. "If you don't want him then why is his make up smeared across your skin?"

Jess' heart leapt into her throat. "It's not what it looks like!" she lied.

"Shut up!" again Harley's balled fist hit her hard in the face before the manic woman leapt onto her chest, pinning her flailing arms beside her as best she could. Sitting down on her victim's ribs her strong thighs hardened and stiffened. "Bitch!"

Jess attempted to wriggle free of her weight, trying her best to squirm her way out from under her but to no avail. The girl was heavier than she looked and her balance was impeccable. Receiving another fist to the face Jess felt the back of her skull collided roughly with the concrete floor. The dull pain spread through her like the ripples on a lake after a stone is thrown into the still water. In addition to the ache ringing through her brain Jess felt the familiar blunt sting of the bullet hole in her chest. Watching as Harley uncorked the small bottle with her teeth Jess felt the uneasy face of fear step from her subconscious self to the very front of her mind. Whatever was in the bottle could not be good. The pungent, woody aroma filled Jess' nostrils as Harley leaned forward and forced her chin down, thus opening her mouth harshly. Tipping the bottle on its end Harley watched as the thick purplish-black liquid flowed over Jess' lips and teeth leaving her spluttering.

"Ha!" Harley squealed in delight. "Swallow it, swallow it!"

Jess tried her level best to spit the offensive liquid from her mouth but failed as she fought for breath against Harley's weight. Breathing in desperately Jess began to choke suddenly. Trying to push Harley away the overpowered woman coughed and spluttered loudly. Quickly the poison settled in the back of her throat, Panicking Jess instinctively swallowed it and immediately regretted it. No sooner had she rid her mouth of the awful stuff than Harley emptied the entire bottle into her throat. Gagging on it Jess shook her head trying to spit the fluid onto the floor but to no avail. Gripping her face roughly Harley forced her mouth closed. Thick trails of black ran down either side of her face settling in her fair hair but Harley was not done. Holding her face still she bounced on her chest drawing a sharp breath from her victim. The breath drew the poison into her throat once more and again she began coughing and spluttering. In her desperate attempts not to drown Jess once more swallowed, freeing her mouth to breathe.

A wild grin spread over Harley's face and she jumped up to stand over Jess, her feet either side of her shoulders. Lifting one foot to stand on her injured shoulder she leaned over and stared straight into her eyes laughing. It had been easier than she thought it would be. Allowing Jess to crawl away from her clutching her throat and stomach the furious woman kicked her hard in the ribs.

"If I can't have him, no body can have him!"

Jess shook her head violently, fingers clawing at her burning throat. Her mouth tasted like a thousand dirty pennies and her stomach immediately began to churn in her abdomen. Staring up at her ex colleague Jess felt a hot tear roll over her poison-streaked face.

Gritting her teeth Harley seemed to enjoy her pain as she kicked her to the floor once more. Grabbing her by the hair she yanked her head back so as to force Jess to look at her. Lowering her voice to a guttural growl she crouched to bring her face close to Jess'. Licking her lips the peroxide blonde grinned before physically spitting into Jess' face.

"I. HATE. YOU!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Internal Affairs**

Storming across the broken concrete towards the diner the Joker flung the 'borrowed' white coat into the darkness, dismissing it like an old rag. Stopping midway he turned to stare into the darkened doorway to his left, imagining what she was doing; probably mentally beating her self up for her lack of self-restraint. Walking towards the outbuilding he pressed his gloved palms together before leaning against the doorframe. Peering into the darkness he listened hard, as though the sheer intention would enable him to hear her breathing. Allowing his hand to slide down the splitting wood he turned away.

He wanted nothing more than to go to her, to speak with her but he knew as well as anybody that he would not be welcome. He did not doubt that he had been a mistake for her. He did not doubt that she regretted the intimacy but he had never intended on taking advantage of her state of mind and he hoped that she understood that. He hoped that she knew him well enough to know that he had not used her. She was not, and never would be a plaything to him…she was more than that. She was perfect; the personification of something he had forgotten a long time ago…a dream, a nightmare, a memory.

Clenching his teeth he strode towards the diner, marching through the doors taking his clowns by surprise. For now at least, he had other things to tend to. Besides she was more than likely asleep. It was, after all, the middle of the night.

Swiping the bottle of bourbon from the counter as he passed, he breezed into the office. Slamming the door behind him he shut himself away with his thoughts, ready to drown them with the alcohol. There were a thousand other things that he could, and probably _should_, have been doing but his main concern was Max and for the moment he had help with that.

Asking the Bat for help had not been a problem, he knew he would not refuse. Bruce Wayne had moved heaven and earth to be near Jess and so the Joker knew Batman was, for now, on his side. Ultimately they both wanted to find Max, for the sake of Jess if nothing else. Of course Batman had reason to doubt Jess' story, he hadn't been witness to the doctor's abuse at the hands of the guard. Never the less he was obviously looking for him, he knew about the sister-in-law and the kid.

This thought swam around the scarred man's head for a few moments as he slapped his gloves on the top of the desk. Pulling the side drawer out he began to smear the white, oil-based paint over his rough, naked face. Swigging from the bottle of Bourbon he gritted his teeth, inhaling sharply. He didn't drink often, in recent years he had exchanged the habit for chaos; he found the latter held far more benefits for him. Alcohol was dangerous. Of course his own form of amusement was dangerous, but not for him. Alcohol was dangerous in a much worse way. Alcohol changed people, changed their perception of the world. At least with him their preconceptions were generally right. Sliding his fingertips across his scars he painted the infamous crimson streak over his face. There it was: The evil face that haunted the dreams of every Gothamite.

Closing his eyes his fingers hesitated on his exaggerated smile. The irony of the expression never ceased to amuse him. He had all but forgotten his face. These raised edges were alien to him. They were not part of him they were part of something newer. Something created, not born.

Holding his head in his hands he sighed. She had no right doing this to him. No right making him doubt himself. There was a time when he would have passed her on the subway and she would not have batted an eyelid, a time when night time was for copulation not for killing. No more. That man was dead. Long dead.

Taking another swig from the bottle he growled at himself. What was the point in memories if the only ones that remained were full of pain and suffering? In the beginning he had wondered whether he was worth the effort but time had sought to prove that he had been left alone in the world, a lamb to the slaughter. The so-called 'shepherd' had not led him to water; he had led him to sacrifice. The Joker had been born from his inability to heal. It was not his fault, they deserved it…every one of the stinking, rotting corpses had deserved it. Although in recent times he had found the line separating his purpose from his past had become blurred, there was always an explanation. He offered them all a way out. It wasn't his fault they never took it.

Batman was a perfect example. He was a man to be reckoned with, and he indulged his fantasies. How the Joker enjoyed toying with the man. He was such fun. The Joker had often thought they should put him in a gallery. Such a perfect specimen of 'man'. The irony made him smile. Not because he spent most of his time dressed like a bat skulking around in the darkness like some creepy kind of predator, but because of his uptight morality. His heroic inability to kill, even when the situation called for it the guy just couldn't cross the line. In some respects the Joker envied the Batman. He didn't want to be him, Hell no! But he did admire his bravery, or stupidity. Either way you looked at it he was a man to some degree. At least he _tried_ to save his beautiful Rachel. It was his arrogance that marred his heroic nature. Not willing to take advice, or criticism. That was the joke. His in-born need to dominate and succeed had led to the downfall of Gotham's self professed 'White Knight'. Of course he was not about to give the Bat all the credit for breaking Dent's character but he had laid the foundations. The point was he had been given an option. Make the right decision (the White Knight) and be rewarded, or the wrong decision (his own agenda) and be punished. Of course the Alpha Male in the Bat had dictated that he save the girl and, of course, he had been punished.

Eyes open at the sudden rush of long lost memories, a knife twisted in the space where the Joker's heart once beat. Swallowing the pain he sat back in his chair and mused, "At least he made a decision."

* * *

><p>Curled up with her knees pulled to her chest Jess tried to spit the awful taste from her mouth. Breathing deeply she tried to subdue the pain in the back of her skull. Shaking her head the blonde furrowed her brow and began to cry. Harley was insane! Peering at the small black drops of liquid dotting the dirty concrete where she had been assaulted she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to wipe the offending fluid from it.<p>

Her stomach was on fire. As she sat huddled over herself against the wall acid repeatedly leapt into her chest, burning her insides over and over. The temptation to be sick was plaguing her. She knew she had been poisoned; there was no doubt about that. If she vomited it would surely help her cause to survive but the burning sensation in her body was extremely intense. It burned through her ribcage like a forest fire heating every cell in her torso. She was hot, increasingly so. The heat was becoming intolerable.

Attempting to stand Jess fell back against the wall; slapping her open palm against the plaster as though it would stop her falling further. Trying to dig her nails in to anchor herself she slipped, stumbling across the dusty wall and ultimately collapsing again on the concrete floor. It was as though her legs were not her own. She felt as though she had been fitted with new legs, never before used. These new 'baby legs' seemed incapable of supporting her weight, let alone carry her back to her 'bed'. Staring at her feet she slowly began peeling the ripped nylons from her legs, eventually followed by the skirt. Unbuttoning her blouse halfway she relished the cool night air washing over her skin. Brushing her hair from her face she attempted to wipe the sweat from her skin. She felt sticky, as though she had been running on a summer day, sticky and uncomfortable.

The rusty taste in her mouth was slowly spreading to her throat and through her chest to her stomach. Her tongue was becoming increasingly dry and her head was slowly beginning to swim. This was not good. She had to make herself vomit, she had to rid her body of what poison there was left unabsorbed. Falling forward she positioned herself on her knees, supporting her weight with one palm. Tentatively pushing her fingers into the back of her throat she gagged.

Tears filled her eyes as her stomach heaved and a slurry of poisonous bile was expelled beneath her. Leaning back against the wall she wiped her lips with her forearm. Her body was on fire. Trying to swallow she whimpered, it was painful now. The bile had assisted the black toxin in burning her insides and now she simply felt worse. Forcing her eyes open she recoiled as the dim light shocked her senses. It felt as though somebody was shining a torch directly into her pupils. It was torturous.

As she pressed her cheek to the cold plaster behind her she closed her eyes, allowing the cold to seep through her face. Willing the sensation to spread through every part of her she breathed deeply. The poison had acted fast and she did not doubt that she was dying. She needed to get help. She needed a doctor. Tumbling to her hands and knees she began crawling to the doorway. Even if she got to a doctor they would need to know what she had been forced to ingest, and that was the one thing she did not know. She could not even begin to comprehend the delights of the cocktail she'd had forced down her throat.

Reaching the doorway she slumped back against the frame clutching her head. The aching pain had spread through her brain to encompass her entire skull like some kind of organ, growing and swelling in her cranium. Taking deep breaths she tried to steady herself.

The darkness before her was comforting to her strained eyes; the cool blackness a welcome sight to her increasing photosensitivity. Listening to the muffled sounds outside, she drifted into a hazy dream. Distant voices danced through her mind like autumn mist curling through a forest. Each breathy sound twisted and entwined with the next. She could definitely hear the voices but she could not by any means understand them. Each word was painfully distorted beyond recognition and her lack of comprehension bothered her.

Rubbing her hands over her face she attempted to arouse her senses, but to no avail. The only sense that seemed to work in any useful manner was her sight, and that was working painfully overtime. Turning to glance down the hallway behind her she watched as the light shifted throughout the room at the end. Harley was in there. With her increasingly sensitive sight Jess could see the woman pacing around the horrific room, dragging a long thin weapon behind her.

Preparing herself to make a break for it Jess prayed that Harley entertained herself long enough for her to escape the building. She knew her chances were slim but either way the darkness was on her side and it wasn't too far to the door. Forcing herself forward she ambled along the corridor towards the safety of the world. Blinking hard she desperately tried to moisten her eyes. Every part of her body seemed to be quickly drying out. Running her palms over the dirty concrete she scuffed her skin across the imperfections of the floor, grazing her skin in her efforts to keep moving. Her muscles were slowly growing tired and weak. It was as though she was carrying a lead weight on her back; each movement seemed exaggerated and if she hadn't known better she would have sworn that she was sinking through the floor. It was like quicksand. She just didn't seem to be getting any closer to the door.

"Please," she hissed into the darkness.

Sliding her hands forward she pushed further on her journey. Mentally willing herself to keep going she prayed to every deity she had ever heard of that they would just scoop her up and carry her to safety.

The hazy voices drifted closer to her, louder but still no clearer. Her ears didn't seem to comprehend plain English and as hard as she tried she still could not piece together what they were saying.

As the night air washed over her face she closed her eyes, enjoying the sheer coolness on her burning skin. As her muscles began to relax and her body softened she felt a sudden, excruciating pain in her left hip. Collapsing into a broken heap she twisted to see Harley standing over her, sledgehammer resting on her shoulder, grinning widely.

"Where ya goin'?"

Fear struck Jess' heart like the hammer had struck her hip, "I just…wanted some…air."

"Heh," the armed woman sneered, swinging her hammer to the floor she leaned on the handle and grabbed Jess by the hair. Dragging her roughly back into the building she threw her against the doorframe, bruising her shoulder. "Get your ass back in there!"

Jess was shocked. This was not the Harley she remembered. This was a new, by no means improved, more dangerous Harley. She was ruthless and driven. Her eyes burned with malice and vindication and in Jess' weakened state she seemed so much stronger.

Kicking her over Harley pressed the sole of her shoe against her face. Pushing down hard she giggled before gripping her hammer firmly. Lifting the weapon swiftly she slammed it down beside Jess' head. The natural blonde winced, screwing her eyes closed tightly. Drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her head she impulsively urinated…she was terrified.

* * *

><p>Stretching his arms across the desk the Joker breathed out heavily. Watching his breath mist the scratched varnish he blinked slowly. The Bourbon had slowed his racing mind and for the moment he was blissfully mulling over the rare intimacy he had shared with his wonderful Jester. She was wonderful. He loved…what she was: Righteous. He found the thought amusing. He had spent the past few month doing everything within his power to protect the one thing that he had spent years destroying…simply because it was part of her.<p>

'Knock knock.'

Sighing, the painted man rolled his eyes, "What?"

"It's a woman Boss…never seen her before,"

"Deal with it!"

"Er…" the voice paused, "we've tried."

The scarred man growled, "If you want something doing **well**, _you gotta do it yours__**elf**_!" Ripping the door open he stormed out of the office, "Where is this _woman_?"

The masked clown pointed to the main doors before backing off, leaving the Joker rolling his eyes. Stepping out into the night he welcomed his visitor.

"Well well well…hellooooo beautiful," his eyes drifted over the flowing auburn tresses falling languidly over a pale, slender frame. Skipping towards the intruder he cocked his head to the side. "I get the straaaange feeling that you and I have met _before_."

"Hmmm," the redhead smiled. "I'm pretty sure I would remember."

Raising an eyebrow the Clown Prince grinned, "I guess I got a better memory than you do huh? Dress looks nice…_much better than your ah_…**white coat**."


	14. Chapter 14

**Prodigal Son**

Effortlessly gliding over the sleeping city Batman soared through the crisp night air thoroughly searching the streets below. Scanning the rooftops and backstreets he silently made his way towards Arkham. How did the Joker expect him to find a man who had practically vanished from the face of the earth? It wasn't like he hadn't tried. At first he had been sceptical- like most people, but since finding the dead sister-in-law he had begun to wonder just how much Jess had been through. She hadn't really spoken much about it to him. If the man was dangerous enough to warrant the Joker pleading for his help then the truth of the matter must have been quite horrific.

Scrutinising the sprawling carpet of Gotham he swooped down over the Narrows and alighted on the wire topped high security wall of the asylum. Standing silhouetted against the ever darkening sky he gazed down at the forbidding carcass of the old hospital. The broken rubble lay strewn lazily about the overgrown gardens and he could see why the police had given up. It would have taken them months to process the whole area for traces of Max. Even so it irritated him that they had not pursued the matter further. Arkham was impenetrable. The place inhabited a world of its own, separate from the rest of Gotham and indeed the rest of the world.

Dropping down onto the heap of bricks and glass Batman filled his lungs with the damp, mossy air. Climbing the unstable mass carefully he listened to the rubble shift under his feet and watched as the dust curled up into the breeze. He could not imagine how terrified Jess must have been. Locked away in an abandoned part of the old, Victorian part of the hospital she must have been affected. The sheer isolation must have been torture on its own, never mind the psychological torment of the guard.

Sighing he turned to glare up at the newer, clean cut and starched building; its sandstone frontage glowing around the lit windows. The place was misleading; it seemed much smaller from the front than it actually was. A general visitor would be forgiven for thinking the site had originally been a college of some kind with its tall, slender windows and pillared doorway. Even though the newer buildings were in now way a reflection of the original hospital Jeremiah Arkham, the previous owner, had striven to make the place 'fit in'.

In the past the place had received a terrible reputation for ill treatment of inmates but in more recent years, namely after the refurbishment, many crimes had been committed within the walls of the institution. It definitely was a solitary establishment…an establishment to be reckoned with.

Turning his attention back to the ruined wards and outbuildings Batman sighed heavily. There was nothing for him here. No clues, no signs, nothing. Perhaps his best bet in finding Max was to take the Joker at his word. Maybe he should drop in on the killer clown? At least that way he would be near Jess. Given the circumstances he was fairly sure that the Joker would give him a wide birth and allow him to simply patrol the old Carnival.

Firing his grappling hook at the high wall he prepared to traverse the old bricks to begin his journey towards the Joker's hide out. Testing the security of the line he stepped back, dislodging a small clump of bricks. As the bricks rolled clumsily down the ramshackle hill something caught his eye. Even in the dark the smallest glint of silver sparked his attention. Stooping to investigate he picked up a small, white plastic rectangle. The back comprised of a long, bent pin and an eye hook to fasten it, turning it over in his hand he ran his leather-clad thumb over the dirt covered engraved words: 'Dr Pamela Isely, Pharmacist'

* * *

><p>Grinning from ear to ear Harley skipped from one foot to the other, "Once you're dead, he'll remember how much he needs me. After all <strong><em>I<em> **was the one who helped him get out!"

Attempting to sit Jess shook her head, embarrassed at her lack of self control, "You're crazy, he thinks he killed you."

"Pft! That don't matter! Besides I don't care so long as you're gone!"

Jess' brow drew together as though somebody had sewn cotton through it and pulled it tight. Suddenly it felt as though the floor had been ripped from beneath her and she could not keep her balance, she was falling. Sweat misted her face and she clung desperately to the doorframe. She was so dizzy…and hot, like the bowels of Hell had opened up under her and she was being dragged endlessly down into the searing heat. Harley's ranting twisted into an eerie demonic sermon, a satanic priest standing over her, judging her and denying her entry into Heaven.

As fast as it had begun the din ceased and she was alone. Panting and in tears Jess sat disorientated and confused. Digging her fingernails into her palms she clenched her fists tightly. Her brain was playing tricks on her but it was real, every part of her 'trip' had ben real. To her at least. She knew she was not seeing things but Harley was definitely gone. She was alone and in her present state of mind she wasn't entirely sure whether she preferred the solitude.

Harley had left her victim to hide in the darkness of the main doorway. She had been distracted, mid rant, by the nuances of a familiar voice. Crouching in the entrance the peroxide blonde hugged the wall and strained to listen to the voices outside. Turning to get better understanding of what was going on she saw her friend; slender and pale in the moonlight, holding her own with the Joker. Creeping forward slightly Harley tried to listen to their conversation.

Ivy's bright eyes shone brightly as she watched the Joker circle her, running his fingers over her skin. Lifting her head proudly she began, "I believe you may have a problem."

The Joker raised his eyebrows, "Problem?"

"You see, I may have come across something that you didn't want,"

"Hmmm," he pursed his lips before leaning close to her, "_and what would that beee_?"

Pausing for a moment the pale woman turned slightly to face him, "Harley."

His eyes darkened profoundly with the news that she wasn't dead. The girl was like a bad penny. "So?" his voice was harsh and abrupt.

Ivy sighed, "It would seem that the poor thing has a slight obsession with your…now what did she call her?..."

"Jester,"

Smiling Ivy continued, "Yeah, _Jester_."

"Talk about an understatement," the Joker rolled his eyes.

"She's here,"

His face set like stone; the comical grin straight as an arrow. The darkness in his eyes had spread instantly to every fibre of his body. Harley was here, not for him but for Jess. Glaring towards the darkened doorway of the outbuilding his heart leapt into his mouth. Swallowing hard he spun back to Ivy, "**WHERE IS SHE?"**

"How should I know?" Ivy shrugged. "The point is, you don't need to know where _she_ is…you just need to make sure she's not with _her_."

The Joker motioned to one of the henchmen, "Get in there and **don't **leave her!"

Nodding, the masked clown skulked through the darkness towards Harley. As he approached she ducked around the corner quickly, allowing the man to pass her and enter the building to guard Jess.

Slowly Ivy pulled a small bottle from her bra. Lifting it before her she shook it slightly, "You're gonna need this. It's an extract from a bean. It's the antidote to what Harley has brought with her. Incidentally Harley has made a grave mistake…"

"Oh believe me she has made many,"

"I wont lie to ya…Joker…I made the poison for her. Only thing is, she's not the most attentive child in class, and she did not bring what I made for her. She brought something a little different…don't get me wrong, it'll still kill her if she takes enough of it…but this is going to help," she placed the bottle in his palm, noting the anxious look on his face.

"What part is the mistake?" he growled, stepping towards her.

"Not listening," Ivy smiled. "The thing about poison is that they don't all do the same thing. What she took was Jimson and Henbane. It's not really something that I use for er…you know, killing."

In a flash his hand was pressed against her throat. Stepping behind her he flicked open his knife and pressed it against her throbbing jugular. "You killed the woman and kid," he growled in her ear, applying pressure to the blade he cut into her pale skin, drawing a drop of blood from the small nick. "Why?"

"Oh now Honey, I wouldn't do that if I were you,"

"Lucky for me you're not me…" no sooner had the words left his mouth than the hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention. The darkness seemed to close in around him, pushing down, oppressing him from above. Turning to glare at the offending feeling his dark eyes were met with the monstrous hulk of a man standing behind him. Rough skin dappled in the moonlight as tubes shone tracing pathways from the beast's throat and face. Releasing Ivy the Joker turned fully to face his guest. The dark eyes pierced what was left of his soul. "_So that's where you've been hiding_."


	15. Chapter 15

**A Job Well Done…**

Pressing her back against the peeling wall Harley peered around the building towards 'her' man and friend. Squinting slightly she attempted to focus on the Joker but her view was obscured by the large mass of man standing between herself and him. Moonlight rippled over tight skin as the hulk breathed and Harley watched intently as he balled his fists, effectively flexing his biceps slightly. The Joker stepped towards him and cocked his head.

"As nice as this is," the Joker quipped, pacing around his new guest before turning back to Ivy. Sucking his tongue loudly he continued, "I'm at a loss as to why I deserve such a gift."

Pouting slightly Ivy lifted her head, "Oh he's not a gift. He's mine. He's insurance."

The clown raised an eyebrow, "Insurance?"

"Insurance," Ivy turned away, rolling the glass vile between her finger and thumb, "against you."

The Joker laughed, "What makes you think you need insurance against me Doctor Isely?"

A seductive grin spread across the redhead's pale face, "The rumours."

"Ahhh," he caressed the blade of his 'old friend' before carefully replacing it in his pocket.

"And your medical prescriptions…pre Dr Cunningham. There are not many patients in Arkham who are given such high doses of sedatives. And those that are, are not kept in general population. The amount of sedation you were prescribed always made me wonder just how dangerous you were. I must say that I don't fully understand the reputation you've acquired. From what I figured in the lab most of your history is speculation. I mean there was always talk, but no real proof…exactly how many people _have_ you killed?"

The Joker eyed her warily, "More than you know about."

"Oh come now honey," Ivy drawled, "I'm only making conversation. There's no need to be like that."

Peering over his shoulder he dismissed her point, "I disagree."

"You seem disappointed, somethin' wrong?"

"Since you asked the question, yeah…you see I don't in any way profess to be a perfectionist. But when I do a job, I do like to ah…make sure it's done **well **and…ahhh…" the Joker motioned to the silent man behind him, "_I'm pretty sure I killed him_."

Ivy grinned, "Not quite. Although you did make it very hard for me to keep him alive."

His black eyes narrowed, he was interested. Glancing at the small vile in her hand he bit his lower lip, "With that?"

Lifting the bottle Ivy shook her head slowly, "This? No. This is the antidote to _his_ treatment…should I need it. Lucky for you I have this. You see, this I where Harley has made her mistake. The Jimsome and Henbane is for him, it helps me to keep him - how should I put this? Co-operative. I didn't make it to kill him; it's a method of 'resetting' him. If you get what I mean."

Running his hand through his dirty hair the Joker frowned, "Resetting?"

His female guest smiled softly, "Yeah. Don't get me wrong, if she gave your 'Jester' enough of it then she will definitely die…but if I were you that would be the least of my worries."

Ivy moved away from him towards the diner.

Lowering his face slightly the painted man peered at her from hooded eyes, "Least of my worries?"

"The poison has very specific effects,"

"Indulge me," he growled, low in his throat.

"Depending on the strength, and I'll be honest it is strong, it generally takes anything up to 72 hours to cause…well if she doesn't die she'll not be conscious. If she _does_ die it'll be the end of her but…if not then you'll have a whole new set of problems," she turned to look at him, gauging his reaction, and her distance from him.

Taking a step towards her slowly the Joker lifted his head and frowned quizzically, "Problems?"

Ivy continued cautiously, "Besides death Jimsome mainly attacks the central nervous system. Along with Henbane it causes severe dehydration of the body often affecting the eyesight first. Lack of moisture increases the sensitivity of the optic nerve. The lack of fluid can cause both aural and visual hallucination, delirium and along with a heightened risk of tachycardia can induce intense fear and delusional behaviour. That is to say that once the brain suffers from the increasing bodily heat the synapses will start to fire rapidly, often causing panic attacks and then providing Harley gave her enough poison she will eventually lose consciousness which does usually result in death."

Raising his eyebrows the Joker turned to glare at the ex security guard, "And if she doesn't die she'll be like him?"

"Hmmm, not exactly. I've been cultivating him for months. It took me some time to get the dosage just right to keep him comatose enough to have a subliminal effect on his mind," she motioned lazily into the air. "Hence the antidote; I didn't want to kill him. After all it took a great deal of effort to get him out of the asylum. In fact I guess I outta thank you for giving me such an opportunity to…"

"You took him…" the Joker hissed through gritted teeth, his tone dark and menacing.

"Should I have left him there? It would have been a waste of a great opportunity…they would have simply incinerated him in the basement,"

Sucking his tongue slowly the Joker moved slowly through the cool night air towards Ivy. Lowering his head and flexing his fingers repeatedly he growled, "It would have less than he deserved!"

Ivy stepped backwards towards the diner, closing her fingers around the small vile, "I'm a firm believer in the power of recycling…like they say; One man's trash is another man's treasure. Don't you agree? Besides, my intention was not to inflict torture on your little Jester. I have my own agenda and Gotham has yet to deal with me. Arkham included."

Glaring at the slender woman almost radiating in the moonlight the painted man took a deep breath. As the cool air filled his lungs something inside of him, something long lost, clicked into overdrive. Suddenly the realisation of the pharmacist's admission rocketed through his brain dragging with it images of the abandoned wards of Arkham Asylum together with the dark, peeling walls and blood-streaked floors. Max Gray's eyes burned through the vision like embers in a dying fire as his mouth filled with the familiar coppery taste he had come to recognise at the onset of the adrenalin rush, "You knew she was in there."

"Oh honey, do you really think I would be so callous as to keep that to myself when the police came? Of course I didn't know he'd put her in there,"

"_**Grrr**_," his response resonated through every cell of his body. "You knew it was him."

"Not exactly," her voice was soft and hesitant, anticipating the Joker's reaction, "suspected would be more of an appropriate word."

No sooner had the sentence left her lips than his fingers were at her throat, closing tightly around her windpipe, forcing her back against the glass doors roughly. Pressing his body against her he pinned her in place as his dark eyes glared at her shining irises.

"You are responsible…"

"I…had no…reason…to…get involved," Ivy spluttered making no attempt to defend herself. Simply holding one hand aloft behind the Joker's head she motioned to her 'baby' and the beast ripped the Joker from her throwing him to the ground hard. Running her palm over her neck she stepped forward. "You should thank me. If I'd have stopped him, you'd still be in your private padded room."

The Joker slowly got to his feet, stumbling slightly before being knocked to the broken concrete once more. As Max's fists gripped at his collar he began to laugh, "Boy you _have_ grown! Such a **big boy**! Your Momma must be so proud."

"Oh I am," Ivy grinned. "My lovely little Bane…such a good boy."

"Bane?" the restrained clown spluttered as his face slammed into the ground once more.

"Like I was saying…Jimsome and Henbane. They are powerful ingredients and if I were you I wouldn't be spending so much time beating yourself up about the past…he's not Max anymore. He's mine. Leave him," she commanded firmly, softly running her hand over her henchman's arm. "He needs to think clearly."

"Oh, oh hooo," the Joker laughed loudly dusting himself off as pain seared through his left side. "I didn't realise tonight was going to be so much fun."

"He's mine Joker," Ivy warned.

"How unfortunate for you that I disagree - Now, the way _Iiii_ see it, he's _miii__**ne**_…and so is Harleeey,"

Ivy's face hardened. She had known he would endeavour to kill Harley but such a blatant threat had knocked her confidence a little. Quickly gathering her composure the redhead held the antidote between her finger and thumb, allowing the moonlight to gleam over the glass, catching his attention, "You can't have everything Joker. You're gonna to have to compromise."

As quickly as the adrenalin had coursed through his veins it subsided and the long forgotten vice-like grip of fear clenched his heart. The burning pain in his side made his breath catch between his ribs as the hot lightening blitzed through his chest.

Jess.

Harley strained to hear something, anything in the seemingly never ending silence. Surely Ivy was not seriously going to give him an antidote to the poison? What was the point? She knew how much she hated Jess. She had made the poison for her. It wasn't her fault she had taken the wrong one! For crying out loud, they looked the same!

Besides, she was sure Ivy had said that it would still kill Jess if she'd given her enough; and Jesus she had forced the whole thing into that bitch's throat. She had finally done what she needed to do - she didn't care whether the Joker wanted her anymore. All Harley wanted now was Jess dead. And now here was her so-called 'friend' giving him the goddamn cure. How could she do this to her?

* * *

><p>"What the Hell?" the henchman breathed against the inside of the mask, his breath misting against the thick rubber as he rushed across the dusty tiles to the slumped woman. "Hey, you ok kid?"<p>

Slamming her back against the wall Jess cowered, lifting her arms to cover her head. Instinctively the clown stood back before crouching to sit on his haunches, reaching out to her slowly. Frowning Jess tried to focus on the dirty white mask hiding his identity from her. The faded blue stripes crossing the eyes slowly swam before her and gently dispersed into two great, vacuous hollows. Each abyss grew darker as the wide, comic-book smile stretched like some kind of manic balloon animal, growing ever brighter and taut across the rubber. Closing her eyes tightly Jess shook her head over and over again desperately trying to rid herself of the image. He was too close, invading her senses, taking up her oxygen. She could not cope with his proximity. Heat radiated from him and clung to the inside of her throat, clawing and scratching at the inside of her lungs.

"Miss, he sent me to help you…please, can you talk to me? Are you ok?"

"No, no…get away…please…" Jess croaked dryly. Turning away from him she tried to crawl away, slipping in the pool of inky vomit between them.

As her chest crashed into the floor she felt his hands, strong on her shoulders, lifting her slowly.

"Hey," his voice was quieter now and easier to comprehend.

Lifting her face to meet his mask she was surprised not to see a clown. Where the thick rubber mask had been a naked face now gazed at her. Etched with experience and age his skin was marred with small dark blotches around his temples where his hair had receded. He was old, at least in his late fifties from what she could tell. His features were soft on her eyes and a welcome sight as the room once again began to shift under the strip light.

Blinking hard Jess attempted to stop the light and dark bleeding into one another but to no avail. "Please," she tried to push her lank hair behind her ears. "Help me."

"Of course. I'm here, but I have to go get…"

Jess desperately shook her head, "No! Don't leave me…please."

Sighing the henchmen touched her cheek, "Listen kid, I've gotta get the boss. It's more than my job's worth to leave you like this, he'll know what to do."

Jess slumped back against the wall allowing her palms to fall to the floor either side of her, "She poisoned me."

Forcing her eyelids open with his thumb the henchman checked her pupils; each black circle had dilated to a point where he could barely tell the colour of her irises. The whites of her eyes were becoming increasingly bloodshot and her skin was on fire. The poor girl had obviously been sick and he knew he had to get the Joker.

"He's looking for her, I have to get him. Please kid, let me go,"

Swallowing hard Jess smiled painfully, "Kid?"

"What are you? Early twenties?" he reciprocated her expression.

"Heh, not quite," the doctor coughed. "A bit more than that."

"I have…_had_…a daughter about the same age," his tone cracked slightly as though he was suddenly struck by a painful memory.

Drawing a much needed breath into her scorching lungs Jess felt her heart sink into her stomach. His eyes were colder now and his face seemed paler than before. He was worn down, as though the pain of the memory had sucked the life from him.

"Take me with you," Jess breathed.

The man looked at her, into her, "Ok."

Standing up he offered Jess his hand. Pulling her to him he smiled as she fell against his body. She was weak. Her legs felt worse than before. They no longer belonged to her, she could not feel her own muscles working in her body and wondered how she had managed to make her way from the wall to the darkened doorway. Turning to check her chaperone was indeed assisting her she smiled in gratitude for his strength.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention as a cold breeze assaulted her skin, stopping her in her tracks. The darkness shifted around them and Jess felt her knees give way beneath her as her instincts took over and she ducked. A rush of air passed over her head as she felt the weighty movement of the sledgehammer swing across the space where she had just been standing. A split second was all it took as the henchman was wrenched from her arm, the hammer knocking him off balance. As his body hit the floor Jess collapsed beside him wrapping her arms around her skull in a futile attempt to protect herself.

Staring at the inside of her own eyelids Jess shook violently. Each beat of her heart visibly running through her veins like a runaway train. She felt the air shift as Harley brought the hammer down again and again. Each blow thudded bluntly beside her, each blow followed by the horrific remnants of the man's body raining down over her arms and face.

"Look! Look!" Harley demanded grabbing Jess by the hair and dragging her over the mangled body. "Look what you made me do!"

"Please!" Jess quaked, kicking her way over the dead man. "Please Harley, you don't have to do this."

Jess was disappointed in herself for her cowardice. She was ashamed. But she was weak, so weak. Her body was slowly turning against her. Her insides were gradually rebelling and her mind was already running on overdrive as the metallic smell of the goon's blood filled her nostrils and she felt her hands sink through his mangled flesh, on through the cold floor beneath him and down towards Hell once more. As her blood rushed into her skin and the pain spread through her limbs like wildfire the victimised woman attempted to drag herself from the wreckage of a man beneath her.

Slipping in the ebbing pool around his body Jess grabbed Harley, pulling her to the floor with her receiving a swift elbow to the face in a return. Harley clung to the striped handle of the hammer for support and pushed Jess' face against the man's broken skull. Pressing down on her head the peroxide blonde laughed cruelly and forced her to writhe against her grip, smearing the dead man's blood across Jess' cheek.

"Ha! Look at you! You stupid bitch! Get up!" with a fistful of her hair Harley pulled Jess from the corpse roughly.

Shoving her victim into the darkened hallway the crazy woman shoved her in the small of her back with the wide edge of the hammer. Stumbling forward uncontrollably Jess fell to the floor, her kneecaps slamming into the tiles. As the pain shot through her bones tears sprung in her eyes and ran over her blood slicked skin. Had it not been for the pain she would have welcomed the moisture but the saltiness stung her eyelids like vinegar in a paper cut. Clawing at her eyes Jess tried desperately to cease the stinging but was stopped as Harley once again dragged her from the floor, slamming her into the wall. Pushing the hammer against Jess' throat Harley moved her face close to her victim.

"Now listen to me. We're goin' for a walk ok? And I swear to God, if you try to run I'll break your goddamn legs. Understand?" she sneered. Jess nodded as best she could. Tilting her head to the side Harley grinned sickly, "And if you try to shout I'll rip your fucking throat out."

Jess stared at the manic woman with wide eyes. Where was she taking her? She had already been poisoned, what more could she want?

Tripping over her own feet Jess stumbled out into the night, closely followed by Harley. The cool air was almost painful on Jess' overheated skin and each step seemed to take an eternity as the searing pain splintered through her kneecaps. Slowly feeling her way over the cracked concrete Jess walked, shaking, further into the night. The distant sound of traffic way off in the city was a little comforting to her ears as the melancholic hum of cars drove on and on; the low, incessant heartbeat of Gotham.

Grabbing her by the arm Harley pulled her back to her roughly. Tightening her hold she held her close, guiding her over the large cracks and overgrown weeds towards the large Ferris Wheel across the park.

Somewhere in the vicinity Jess could make out voices. Wiping her face with the back of her hand she turned towards the dull noise. There he was; standing so close but yet too far away, her only way of real escape. Harley's words rang poignant in her ears, 'Try to shout and I'll rip your fucking throat out!"

Closing her eyes tightly Jess continued through the near darkness with Harley at her side. Contemplating the consequences of crying out for help the natural blonde shook her head slowly and continued through the redundant carnival. Feeling tears crawl to her eyes once more Jess held her breath. She had already resigned herself to the fact that Harley had won, although to be honest she really did not understand where the competition had lain, and she was dying but for some unknown reason, something deep inside her was screaming at her to shout to him.

Turning to take stock of the nearby gathering Jess tried her best to focus on the unfamiliar figures to her left. Two persons accompanied him – their voices low and dark. Each muffled word elongated and mingling with the next. Assessing her near-black surroundings she breathed deeply. Surely things could not get much worse than her present situation?

Twisting her torso as best she could to peer over her shoulder at Harley, Jess felt her heart clench tightly within her chest. The woman was insane with envy. Of course the psychologist within her did not resign itself to the medical diagnosis of insanity, but compared to the previous 'Harley' she had been introduced to this was a new, much more dangerous woman. As if the poisoning had not been enough the fact that the woman had fleetingly murdered the clown henchmen had knocked the metaphorical wind out of Jess. In all honesty she did not know how to truly judge Harley's behaviour. Swallowing hard Jess weighed up the pros and cons of crying out as best she could.

Slowly but firmly Harley tightened her grip on Jess' bicep as though the doctor's mere train of thought was enough to warrant the increase of pressure. Feeling her nails digging deeper into her arm Jess pulled against her hold.

"Don't you dare," Harley hissed venomously in her ear, the words lingering on her flesh like the prickling heat from a nettle sting.

Turning away Jess swallowed hard. She had to do something. Harley was taking her away from the fairground, away from him. Skimming her bare soles over the jagged concrete she shuffled blindly through the near-wasteland with her torturer.

It was not the first time Jess had been in such a desperate situation and common sense told her that if the Joker had strived to keep her alive over the previous few months then why shouldn't he help her now? Feeling the muscles in her throat tighten involuntarily Jess attempted to ease the obstruction by growling, low in her chest. Fear coursed through her veins as poignant as the poison infiltrating every cell in her body but deep in her soul she knew she had to do something.

The dim light of the diner cast long shadows over the dishevelled wreckage of the fairground - dark shapes stretching elongated over the dead buildings, broken down kiosks and sidewalks. Tall grasses marred her view of the Joker and his guests but although her view was restricted something in her mind held up a small red flag. The slender redheaded woman standing behind the Clown Prince of Crime seemed somewhat familiar. In her hazy reality of the moment Jess could not quite put her finger on the time or place but she was sure that she had seen the woman before.

The cold air crept through Jess' nostrils into her brain and slowly her head began to ache with the unfamiliar feeling of emptiness. Frowning she ran her fingers though her sticky hair. Coughing slightly she began to cry. This was ridiculous. Was she seriously going to simply follow Harley's orders and walk blindly to her death? Even if she did die could she look back on her life and be proud of her actions? Could she be happy with her choices? Was she really going to walk past him without even attempting to get his attention? Was she that stupid?

Shaking her head in disbelief Jess continued on to stand beside the huge structural anchors holding the giant wheel to the ground.

"Keep moving!"

Harley shoved her hard, knocking the doctor off of her feet. Slamming her hands into the tough grasses the natural blonde stifled her cries as tears ran over her face onto her dirty blouse.

Her feet tender from the cracked concrete Jess pulled herself up and leaned against the old wheel. Feeling Harley's hammer in her back once more she turned to look at her tormentor.

The manic woman grinned wildly, "You're mine now."

Closing her eyes for a moment Jess felt the Joker's hands on her skin once again; his warm flesh against hers, slow and precise. Every movement exaggerated and pronounced. That regrettable lack of judgement replayed in her mind like a terrible television rerun. Unable to stop the memories Jess relinquished herself to the unnatural solace she had found in his arms.

Harley was a force to be reckoned with; out of control, dangerous but Jess could not simply give up. She was dead either way. Opening her baby blues slowly the dying woman sighed heavily. This had to stop.

Licking her lips slowly and swallowing hard Jess prepared for the inevitable chaos. Sounding the word out in her mind she repeated it over and over and over. Her throat was dry like a sun-scorched desert but in her heart she knew she had to force the word out…gritting her teeth firmly she mentally willed the word to carry through the night to him barely hearing her lips scream it hoarsely, desperately. Harley's threat haunted her but she knew he was her only hope and her fear of dying alone betrayed her.

"**JOKER!"**


	16. Chapter 16

**Facebook...Arkham Angel Series**

**Desperation**

Like a crack of thunder in the darkness Jess' desperate plea hit the Joker hard, spinning him on the spot to face her, to face Harley. The hoarse cry splintered through him like broken glass, each shard piercing an imprisoned part of him. As the barriers broke with the force of her voice his mind reeled back to a time before the Joker. Piece by piece his innermost fears thawed and spilled into his heart. Shocked by the sudden rush of emotion he was slow to react and barely recognised the blood-soaked woman in the shadows, almost mistaking her for somebody else.

Stepping forward he grimaced painfully. The pain shot through his ribs once more drawing a groan from his throat. Forcing his eyes to focus through the memories he saw the Lap Dog dragging Jess further into the darkness violently. Drawing his pistol clumsily he pulled the trigger firing blindly into the night towards the Ferris Wheel.

No sooner had the shot echoed through the fairground than he was knocked off-kilter by a sudden weight on his arm. Trying to shake the hindrance from his body he lifted the weapon once more.

"NO!" Ivy yelled at him, allowing her knees to give way once again, dragging him to the floor with her.

"_**HarleEEEEYYYY!" **_the Joker bellowed into the night. Slamming his feet against the concrete he forced himself forward only to be dragged down again by the dead weight clinging to his right arm. Glaring at Ivy he shook his head. He didn't have time for this. Shaking his arm forcefully he attempted to dislodge the pale woman but she simply clung on harder.

"I wont let you kill her Joker!" the redhead stated firmly.

Growling menacingly the painted man shoved her away hard, striking her across the cheek with the back of his hand. Lifting the gun he tilted his head and, catching sight of the back of Harley's head, he fired.

"Bane!" Ivy's voice was white hot with anger as she brushed her long auburn tresses from her face.

The man was big but by no means slow. Before the Joker could brace himself the beast had him on the floor once again, slamming his hard boots into his injured side. Picking the Joker up almost effortlessly with one hand Bane slammed his fist into his jaw, knocking his head back, almost drawing darkness to his vision. Collapsing in a heap on the floor the dazed clown shook his head as though the action would dispel the need to pass out. Pressing his hand against his jaw he swallowed the rising blood in his mouth.

"_I've killed you **once already**_!" the slumped man spat. "Tell me, Max…how's your throat? _Huh_?"

A long low hiss emitted from the ex security guard as he gripped the Joker's shirt and sent him sailing through the glass doors into the Diner.

Covered in glass the Joker stumbled to his knees laughing, "That's ah…that's what I _thought_…What's the ah, what's the m_aaatter_? Cat got your tongue? Ha ha ha he he h**ooo**!"

Picking the remnants of the doors from his waistcoat the laughing maniac waited for his adversary to approach him. Turning to the hulk's heavy footsteps he raised an eyebrow. This new, 'improved' Max - or Bane as the deluded woman had begun calling him was quite a sight in the light. Although his mass had increased somewhat he was not _much_ bigger than the Joker remembered him. Muscle: that was the improvement, sheer muscle. He wondered just what the pharmacist had been pumping him full of to warrant such a change in the man. Watching Bane lumber towards him he took pleasure recounting the actions resulting in each of the man's dark scars. It had not escaped his observation that each wound had been cared for meticulously. Not least the throat.

Smiling broadly the Joker replayed the moment he had slammed his 'old friend' into the back of the guard's throat, severing his vocal chords. He had been particularly pleased with that wound. Although the injury was not visible he was sure he could be safe in the knowledge that the hulk's ability to speak had been removed, thanks to him. His memory was not the only reason for his self-satisfaction, had it not been for the numerous tubes piercing the beast's lower jaw and throat he would have thought that too had healed. The sight of the constant flow of dark liquid pumping through the clear tubes almost sent shivers up the Joker's spine. That was not normal, even by his standards.

Brushing the dirt from his pants the purple and green maniac turned to his goons waving his arms, "Shoot at him then!"

Shots rang out through the Diner as each rubber-masked clown obeyed, firing at the hulk of a man. Bullets hit the wall of muscle, digging their way into his flesh but with no reaction. He simply kept coming.

Aiming directly at Bane's forehead the Joker muttered, "Again…_If you want something doing…_"

"Stop!"

The sight of Ivy clinging to the shattered doorframe was enough to warrant the Joker raise his empty hand to cease the barrage of bullets.

"First Harley now him, jeez are you ever gonna let me have any fun?" the Joker frowned.

"Here," Ivy tossed the antidote across the space between them. "Don't kill Harley!"

Swiping the small bottle from the air the Joker tilted his head slightly, "Ahhhh, I can't make promises I wont keep."

"If she dies you'll wish you were never born," the words rolled off of Ivy's tongue like poison. It wasn't a threat, it was a promise and he was well aware of it. Sucking his lips loudly the Joker watched as the redhead began to tend to her 'baby', tearing her dress to cover his newly acquired wounds.

Starting towards them he pulled a long slim blade from his pants and lowered his voice, "You're too late for that Dr Isely. Oh and ahhh…you really should put your dog on a leash!"

* * *

><p>"You stupid bitch!" Harley screamed, dragging Jess behind the Ferris Wheel and throwing her to the floor. "You stupid stupid bitch!"<p>

Kicking the downed woman hard in the stomach she growled with the effort before pulling at her hair, forcing her back to her feet.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jess coughed as Harley picked up her hammer, swinging it over her shoulder. "Please Harley….I…"

Harley stepped forward and swung the heavy weapon, aiming at Jess' feet, "I'm going to break every bone in your pathetic body!"

Desperate to avoid the pain Jess tried to step aside, stumbling to the uneven ground. Clawing at the grass between the cracks she twisted to face her attacker. Weak from the poison and shaking from the fear she recalled the Joker's words to her in the asylum. She really was a rat, and she was definitely cornered. She had to fight. He was not going to save her. She watched with her heart in her mouth as Harley hauled the sledgehammer over her shoulder once again preparing to bring it down on her body. No sooner had the thought entered her mind than Jess felt the sole of her foot slam violently into Harley's ribs knocking her backwards in a crumpling heap under the weight of the hammer.

Now was her chance, she had winded her. Harley was slow to recover from the blow and Jess had to take advantage of it. Willing herself to her feet the psychologist stared clumsily through the fairground. She had no idea where she was going but she knew she had to get away from Harley.

"Come on!" Jess scolded herself for her lack of speed in her get away. Her feet hurt, as did every fibre of her body. Limping her way over the broken ground she felt her chest heave with pain. Her lungs were dry and growing ever tighter. Each laboured breath became more and more difficult until she barely felt able to draw the next. Blinking hard she willed her eyes to focus as the darkness consumed her, body and soul. She felt as though the ground had fallen away from her feet and she was simply floating in the great vastness of Space.

Peering around herself she admired the beauty of the Universe as the stars seemed to hold her safely between them. She was alone, but she was not lonely. The cold blackness of Space wrapped itself around her burning body and she watched as the planets grew around her, orbiting her as she hung suspended in time. She was calm. Every ounce of fear had drained away and she was relaxed. Gazing below her she could see the fairground laid out like a treasure map. Each derelict attraction shone like a precious stone as the ground came up fast and Jess' heart leapt into her mouth. She was going to hit the concrete. Closing her eyes she dreaded the impact but it never came. Reopening her baby blues she massaged her temples with her fingertips.

Leaning to her left she felt the rough plaster of a wall. Where was she? Peering back over her shoulder she could see the dim light of the Diner in the distance along with the tall spider web silhouetted against the night sky. Resting against the wall she bent over slightly clutching her chest. She had come a fair way, but she did not doubt that Harley was following her.

Attempting to take a deep breath the tortured woman felt her way along the rough wall to the large central expanse. Sensing the enveloping feeling of freedom of movement Jess presumed the emptiness signified a doorway and followed the hollow sound of her own footsteps on the old wooden boards. Maybe she could hide.


	17. Chapter 17

**Mirror Mirror**

"Argh…you stupid bitch! When I find you I'm going to smash your Goddamn skull in!" Harley lumbered over the deep cracks into the increasing darkness. Glancing behind her momentarily she rolled her shoulders trying to relieve the pain of her forced fall. He wasn't following her…yet. Perhaps the beast had got to him first? For a moment she hoped he had, at least that way she could finally rid herself of the interminable nuisance that was the doctor.

Where was she?

Dragging the sledgehammer behind her Harley glared at the hunching buildings around her. Each decrepit outhouse and stall seemed to loom over her like a disappointed, overbearing parent. She shouldn't have let the stupid cow get the better of her like that. Who did she think she was? Where did she think she was going to go? She could barely stand, let alone run away!

"She wont get far," the manic blonde hissed rounding a half dismantled concessions stand. Nothing. A thick crust of dirt covered the cracked floor like a pie crust. She hadn't been here.

Gunshots rang through the carnival drawing Harley back into the No Man's Land of the tall grasses. A hail of bullets echoed from the diner and Harley knew he would be coming. Ivy was probably dead, so probably was Max. Nobody could have survived that barrage of ammunition, she was sure of it. Turning back into the darkness she swung the hammer over her shoulder clumsily and ambled through the brush towards the half dismantled rides in the shadows.

* * *

><p>Sighing heavily Jess closed her eyes, not that it made much difference. Inside the building was scarily dark. With her hands in front of her she attempted to feel her way through the abandoned ride. She had no idea where she was, or what she was walking through but she was sure there was a fair amount of space around her. Perhaps it was one of the children's rides? Tilting her head to the side she tried to accustom herself with the atmosphere surrounding her. There was nothing. Or at least it felt that way. No echoes, no sense of enclosure. Inching forward Jess was sure she would walk into some kind of turn style or trip over the remnants of a track but nothing.<p>

In the darkness the distressed woman couldn't be sure how far she had made it into the building but her feet were sore and her legs felt strained. A sudden wave of nausea washed over her and she doubled over retching the contents of her stomach on to her toes. Instinctively recoiling from the putrid discomfort she lost her balance and felt hard to the floor, the sound betraying her to the night.

Ancient dust filled her lungs as she tried to catch her breath. Each tiny particle burned like asbestos in her ribcage and she desperately tried to stifle her choking but to no avail. Coughing and spluttering the doctor dragged her aching body across the rough wood further into the attraction. Turning to glance at the doorway behind her Jess tried desperately to see outside. She suddenly felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. The entrance seemed so far away and she had no idea where she was going. Wherever she had ended up she was fairly certain there was not going to be a beautiful garden at the other side…unless that was what Heaven looked like.

Peering back into the darkness the lone woman rested her back against a wall. The sheer cold of the surface through her blouse shocked her as it infiltrated the incessant heat of her back. It was like ice against her burning skin, even through the cotton of her shirt. Allowing her head to rest back against the cold hard surface she rolled her skull to peer at the distant entrance. The wall was smooth, too smooth against her cheek and blinking hard Jess attempted to name the material. In her confusion her brain didn't seem to want to play ball and she desperately racked her thoughts for a memory of this feeling. She had to remember, she had to!

As her eyes lost focus over and over Jess felt the dark begin to wrap itself around her limbs slowly; each billowing trail tightening ever so slowly around her body entombing her in soft ribbons of darkness. Forcing air into her lungs the desperate woman tightened her fists before giving in to the cold inky creature entwining itself around her. She tried to move her arms to put up some kind of fight but she had already allowed the darkness too much purchase over her already. The monster had filled her eyes and her mind and now she could feel her lungs overflowing with the demon.

Something changed.

Jess was paralysed. Sat staring at the open doorway she couldn't move. She was there, silhouetted against the night sky…Harley! Jess' heart leapt into her throat as suddenly the darkness seemed to retreat and she knew she could not hide. She had to run. Somehow she had to get up.

"Please," the static woman whispered to an unseen God. "Please help me."

Slowly Jess attempted to thaw her bones and move further into the building. She had to get away. If the darkness was what death felt like she knew it was better than Harley redecorating the room with a nice new shade of 'Doctor's Insides'. Inching her way along the wall she willed herself to get up. Bringing her knees to her chest she attempted to push herself upwards using the wall as support before tumbling back to the floor.

"Shit!" she choked as her injured hip hit the floor first.

"GOT YA!"

The words gripped Jess' heart hard and it was enough to slam her adrenalin into overdrive. Not even turning to look at Harley the injured woman was clawing her way back to her feet and stumbling through the darkness further into the building.

"You can't get away Jester!" Harley bawled into the darkness, testing the weight of her weapon in her hands before swinging it against the wall nearest to her.

The surface shattered instantly and the noise cut through the air after Jess. As the sound assaulted her ears her plight for freedom was suddenly stopped in its tracks as she stumbled headfirst into another cold wall. Feeling her way to the edge she changed directions only to be stopped again. What was this? Was she going crazy? Again she changed direction, again she was stopped. Sliding her palms over the cold smooth walls the desperate woman helplessly searched for a way through.

Another smash behind her.

"Bet I find ya first!"

"No no no…" Jess began panicking. This had to be a trick. She was imagining it. She had to keep moving, keep going forward…she had no choice.

Another smash, this one much closer than before, "Having fun Jester? You know you oughtta love it in there!"

Harley was getting close and Jess was terrified. Frustrated and desperate she pounded on the walls around her. Something, anything had to give. Banging endlessly the hunted doctor slammed her fists against the hard surfaces until suddenly one gave way. Pain seared though Jess' wrist as what seemed like a hundred knives were thrust into her arm. Falling forward her chest slammed into the broken wall. Dragging her arm from the jagged hole she lifted it to the faint light of the night behind her. Even in the darkness a shock of blackened silver flashed in her pupils. As realisation dawned on the distressed woman she turned to look helplessly at her dark surroundings. She could hardly but as her wrist began to pulse and thick, warm liquid ran from her wrist to her elbow, dripping on the dirty floor Jess suddenly realised where she was. The Hall of Mirrors.

This was it, she was either going to make it or not. There _was_ a way out she just had to find it.


	18. Chapter 18

**The Best Laid Plans**

'Keep moving…must keep moving,' Jess urged herself onward deeper between the tall mirrors. She had no idea where she was going but all she knew was she had to keep moving forward. Her head was swimming with disorientation; the only thing she was grateful for now was the darkness. At least she didn't have her own reflection to contend with.

Every part of her body ached and she honestly didn't know how much longer she could hold on, but as long as she could move her feet onward she was sure she was alive. Her heart beat thunderously through her ears all but blocking the rhythmic crashing of Harley's hammer behind her as the manic woman smashed her way through the Hall. With almost precision timing Harley was breaking her way towards her. Jess knew it wouldn't be long before she caught up with her and then what was she going to do? She couldn't run, she was in too much pain. And if she did try to run she knew she wouldn't get far. Hiding was no longer an option; she simply had to stay ahead of her.

Feeling her way along the smooth glass to her left Jess anticipated the end of the 'wall' as the sounds around her changed. The space was larger than before. The corridor seemed to split off in two directions. Pulling her injured arm tight to her stomach she quickly stumbled to the left. She figured she had an equal chance that she had gone the right way and surely she was due for some good luck sooner or later? Either way, if Harley went the other way she would have a chance to get out no matter what.

'Please, please God help me,'

* * *

><p>"<strong>SEARCH EVERYTHING!<strong>" the Joker growled waving his henchmen out into the darkened theme park. Turning back to glare at Ivy he directed two clowns to her side. "Keep them here…I'm not finished with them."

Both clowns glanced at each other before turning their attention to the slender redhead and her brute of a man sitting on the floor.

"If she's dead…" the painted man continued, "so are you."

With that he turned back to the now foreboding park and sighed. The breath cracked heavily in his throat. How was he supposed to find her like this? She could be anywhere. She had shouted him from near the Ferris Wheel but he knew damn well neither she nor Harley would be there by now. Silently cursing himself for not going to her he found himself praying that she would be ok. He could not stand to lose her, not now. She meant far more to him now than ever; she was depending on him…just like _they_ had. Now was his chance to battle his own demons, truly take them by the horns and rip their poisonous throats out. Not finding her was not an option. If she was dead Gotham was going to pay with its children.

Striding through the long grasses he bounded across the cracked concrete around the huge wheel towards the darkest buildings. Gripping the small glass vile tightly he shook his head. Harley had some nerve. When he found her she would beg him to give her mercy, he knew that for sure. Smiling wickedly he allowed wild images to race through his sick mind, images of his lapdog torn to pieces bleeding out in front of him. He would make sure she couldn't get back up this time…if it was the last thing he ever did. Bane did not scare him, very little did…except the thought of replaying his past.

"Going somewhere?" the deep voice almost stopped him in his tracks.

"I don't have time for this," the Joker didn't even turn to peer over his shoulder. He knew his guest would follow him.

"I found something in Arkham…"

"Let me guess Bats," he spun around quickly, "the medicine woman?"

Slightly taken aback Batman frowned, "Dr Isely? Yes."

Running his hand through his lank hair the clown prince rolled his head from shoulder to shoulder, "See now you wanna know how I knew that right? Well ah I reeeally don't have the time to be explaining all this to you! She has her."

Stepping forward the caped man tilted his head slightly, "Isely?"

Growling Joker grabbed his temporary ally roughly and spun him around to face the distant diner, "You see that? Well your lovely…Isely is it?...Well **she's** in there with her not so little _'Baaane'_. Yeah…apparently being stabbed repeatedly just isn't cutting it these days! You want Max Gray you got him. But do me a favour Bat. Man…make an exception to your _one ruuule_, for Jess."

Peering over his shoulder Batman watched as the criminal clown slipped into the darkness. So Max was here, in the diner with the pharmacist. He said 'She has her.' Starting up the Wheel he considered the meaning of his statement. It had to be Jess. He was trying to save her. Why?

Leaping from the great metal web the caped crusader soared above the carnival before swooping down in through the broken doors of the diner. He wasn't quite prepared for the sight before him as he landed on the glass strewn tiles. Isely spun immediately to face him as the huge man behind her slammed a masked clown into the wall. The crack of the man's ribs was enough for the second clown to run. With no time to think the Bat approached the hulk only to be intercepted by the woman.

"Please Batman, please don't hurt him. He doesn't know what he's doin'. He's just a baby inside…trying to protect his Momma," she gripped his Kevlar-clad forearms tightly pushing him backwards slightly. Standing on her tiptoes she bit her lower lip slightly and smiled sweetly.

"Make him stop," he looked deep into her green eyes.

Blinking slowly Ivy smiled, "Bane, baby…that's a good boy now. Momma's good boy."

Her words were soft but they carried through the dusty room to Bane's ears, soothing his temper and slowing his movements. Letting go of the limp clown he watched as the broken body hit the tiles and landed in a flaccid heap on the floor. Ivy arched her brow provocatively and pursed her lips.

"Max?" Batman turned his attention to the man and watched as the mass of flesh turned to face him. This was not what he expected to see. Tubes burrowed deep into his throat and cheeks seemed to pump some kind of liquid into his bloodstream. He was a monster. Perhaps the Joker was right…maybe he had to make an exception to his rule. He had already watched this being break the majority of the bones in one man, if he got onto the streets there would be chaos. Arkham would be pointless. Even if the place was not corrupt they had no means of keeping him restrained.

Bane clenched his fists, straining the exaggerated veins in his forearms. There wasn't much of the man left in this being but something inside told him this masked man was not to be trusted. His mistress was holding the man back, she was protecting him from this dark stranger. Bane didn't know much but he knew he could trust his 'Momma'. Staring from beneath his brow his pupils burrowed into the black eyes beneath the mask. What was this person? Was he with the clowns? He didn't look the same but something in the way his 'Momma' was behaving spoke to him. Something in his subconscious was chomping at the bit to rip this man limb from limb.

Shaking the woman from him Batman stepped forwards.

"Please, he's behaving now. All we wanna do is go home," Ivy attempted to stand between the two men. "He's a good boy. Aren't ya baby?"

Pushing her aside once more the Bat saw the change in the man, the monster. His eyes seemed to darken with his mood and as quickly as she had subdued the hulk Ivy ordered him to attack. Leaping out of the way Batman hit one of the fixed tables and strode back around to flank his massive adversary. He had to find some kind of advantage but there was no room; as soon as he attempted to take the monster on he was fleeing once again. He had to draw him outside. He needed more room to manoeuvre. There was no way he would be able to defend himself sufficiently in the dingy diner.

How to get him outside? Even in the brute's rage Batman doubted he would blindly follow him into the darkness. He needed bait. Firing a small metal baterang at him the caped hero distracted him briefly before grabbing the woman and dragging her outside.

"What're ya doin'? Bane! BANE!" Ivy bellowed behind her, knowing her baby would rescue her.

"Didn't you ever read Frankenstein?" Batman rasped in her ear. "What you have done is an abomination. You shouldn't play with fire if you don't want to get burned."

"BANE!" Ivy shrieked over her captor's shoulder as she watched the huge brute tear after them like some kind of deranged ape. No sooner had she shouted than she was sat on the damp ground in the darkness as the cowled man tore back across the wasteland between the Ferris Wheel and the diner. "No…no! Kill him! BANE KILL HIM!"

* * *

><p>From the distant shrieking the Joker presumed the Bat had found his guests and for now at least was dealing with them. A faint smile played on his lips before fading into panic as he scolded himself for not having yet found his Jester. The task seemed ever more futile the more he strained his ears to listen for her, for anything. This was useless. It would be impossible to find her in the darkness.<p>

Pausing for a moment behind a small merry-go-round he stared at the small generator attached to the ride. Narrowing his eyes he cocked his head to one side. The pros and cons of the forming plan flew through his mind at an alarming pace. Quickly moving to the next ride and the next he noted each small, independent generator attached to each attraction.

Breaking the lock on the nearest metal box with a small icepick Joker opened the control panel to stare at the two round buttons. He assumed they were red and green but in the clouded moonlight it was hard to tell. Leaning much closer he could just make out the faint moulded words 'ON' and 'SHUT OFF'. Sighing he almost dared himself to go through with the plan but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew switching on the power to individual rides would not only give himself an advantage in finding Jess but it would alert GCPD. It was bad enough the Bat was here without the police crawling around his fairground.

Growling quietly he closed his eyes then it hit him like a bullet in the chest; she was dying. Harley had poisoned her and he had the antidote or at least that's what the good pharmacist had told him. He had no choice. He had to risk it. Pushing the 'ON' button till it clicked he watched as the dim lights sparked and spluttered into life. If nothing else maybe the light would give his Jester something to focus on? After all Ivy had said she would be confused and delusional. The darkness and Harley probably weren't helping.

Moving to the next stall he repeated his actions and then the next and the next. Slowly the park began to light up like a rather dirty Christmas tree. Each stall and attraction spread dirty light over the uneven ground and the Joker listened. Still nothing. On to the next.

* * *

><p>Allowing herself to fall back slightly against the thick wooden post separating two mirrors Jess paused to try and catch her breath a little. Each lungful of air felt like a breath of flames seeping into her chest. The pain was becoming excruciating and she whimpered slightly before pressing her palm to her mouth. Trying to stem the welling tears she choked on her cries. The pain was becoming too much. It was the movement that was aggravating her. Her head was throbbing like an abused muscle and she had no concept of where she was running to. She had been in this Hall of Mirrors for what seemed like an eternity and in all honesty she just wanted to sleep now. If she slept maybe she would feel better when she woke up?<p>

Sliding to the floor she curled up in a ball with her knees pulled to her chest. Harley must not have taken the same path. Perhaps the crazy woman would find her own way out and assume she had already left?

Breathing as deeply as she could before stifling another spluttering cough Jess closed her eyes, her body was tired now, so very tired. It was as though somebody had leached all the energy from her limbs and left her an empty shell of herself. It was like one of those dreams where she was running down a corridor but she never seemed to get any closer to the other end. She had been walking for such a long time through the Hall and now she needed to rest. Sighing she listened to the repetitive smashing of glass elsewhere in the building. It was a disturbing lullaby in her hazy consciousness, then it ceased. With her eyes closed Jess strained to listen in the silence. Harley had stopped. Why? Maybe she was coming back. Jess' heart began to race with fear as the thought of Harley finding her once again gripped her deep within her chest. Should she run? Should she sit still and hope she had left?

Suddenly her dilemma was answered for her as her bloodshot eyes recoiled in horror. Light flooded the Hall and as quickly as Jess had resigned herself to sleep she was clambering back to her feet. Trying to shut out the light she covered her eyes with her bleeding forearm. She had no choice now, she had to move. As the dying woman tried to see ahead she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. Turning slowly she began to shake her head violently as tears tore down her burning cheeks, "No no no…"

"BOO!"


	19. Chapter 19

**A lot of changes of POV. I really hope you can keep up. It took a while to simplify what I was trying to say lol. You may need to reread this.**

**Torture and Triumph**

"Please, please," tears poured from Jess' eyes, wetting the floor at her feet.

"Please, please!" her words were echoed back full of whining poison. "I promised you if you shouted I'd kill you. I keep my promises bitch."

"Harley…I never…"

"SAVE IT! I don't care about your excuses. You're dead! You know what I'm gonna do to you?" running her palms along the shaft of the sledgehammer the crazed woman watched as her victim shook her head slowly before relinquishing to her defeat and sliding along the mirror slowly. "I'm gonna smash your pretty head in…put you outta your misery."

Jess locked her knees desperately trying to stop herself from collapsing into a quivering heap on the floor. "Harley please," her voice was smaller than usual and it was a surprise to both women. Pressing her palm against her pulsing arm Jess tried to slow the bleeding. Her arm was sticky with clotting blood and she knew she had done no real damage but still the blood flowed over her dirty skin.

Scowling at her own disappointment she allowed the light to slowly assault her pupils as she tried to focus on Harley. Disturbed dust hung in the air like a bad smell and the tiny grains seemed to stick in Jess' throat like the fiery heat of her chest, clawing at the soft flesh behind her larynx. Coughing hoarsely Jess began to heave. The familiar nausea swept over her like a cold wave as her stomach lurched and she began emptying the vile contents of her stomach over her own feet. Clamping her hand to her mouth the doctor tried to stop herself but the smell of her own blood filled her nostrils, bringing with it awful memories and crippling fear.

Stumbling forward suddenly Jess flung her palms to her head, clawing at her scalp wildly. Lifting her head she stared at the figure before her. Reeling from her memories she pushed her way past her attacker and started clumsily down another mirrored corridor.

Shocked at her victim's sudden panic attack Harley watched as Jess stumbled away from her. She wasn't moving far but she suddenly seemed full of pain and determination.

"Where the hell do you think you're goin'?" Harley followed close behind, shoving Jess in the small of her back with the hammer. "Huh? Where ya goin'?"

Jess lost her footing and her knees slammed into the floor. Turning to cover her head with the bleeding arm she twisted to look at Harley but it was not Harley she saw. No. Harley was no longer standing over her. It was him. Max Gray. Tall and broad dressed in his clean, starched uniform he glowered over her hissing through gritted teeth.

"You bitch! You really think you can get away? Do you?" his voice was distorted in Jess' ears and her mind recoiled in horror as she felt her heart miss a much needed beat. He was going to kill her. Dark eyes burrowed into her own as she curled into a shaking ball at his feet as though the sheer hope would protect her from his abuse.

"Please, I'm sorry…I'm sorry," Jess sobbed helplessly. "Max…"

"What?" Harley frowned. Max? What did he have to do with anything?

Tilting her head to the side Harley smiled wickedly. She was tripping! This wasn't how she had imagined this would happen. Jess should be dead by now. Her patience was wearing thin but this, well this was a turn up for the books indeed. She could have some real fun with the stupid cow now.

Stooping to grab Jess by the arm Harley dragged the trembling woman to her feet with some difficulty, "Stand up!"

Jess tried her best to do as she was ordered but her legs were simply to weak with fear. His hand on her arm was like ice on a summer day. The pain shot through her skin but the difference in sensation was slightly comforting. She could still feel. Slamming her back against the cold of the mirror beside her Jess whimpered uncontrollably.

"MOVE!" the word bellowed through her head making her eyes close tightly. The sheer volume was agony to her senses and she cowered helplessly before being pushed harshly forward.

The terrified woman had barely taken two steps before her ankle caved bringing her to the floor once more. Searing pain splintered through her leg and foot and she failed to support her own weight on her limb. Again the pain split though her shin and into her knee. Shards of fire and ice crackled in her joints as yet another bout of agony burst into her little remaining consciousness. Dragging her useless limb behind her Jess tried desperately to escape the raining blows as the sledgehammer came down once more. The head of the weapon hit the side of her foot crushing the small bones beneath the skin.

"Argh! Please! **PLEEEAASE**!" Jess screamed, her words catching in her dry throat making her wretch. Gripping her crippled foot the doctor began bawling as she hopelessly dragged herself across the filthy floor into what seemed to be the centre of the mirrored maze. There seemed to be so much light and air in here. Still crying the agony ridden woman inched her way into the centre of the 'room'.

"HA!" Harley bounded over to Jess like a deranged child, dancing with her beloved weapon. Swinging it behind her she swung towards her lame victim with ease. It didn't take much to get good momentum with the hammer, sure it was heavy but if you got it just right…the sledgehammer struck Jess in the ribs, knocking the wind from her lungs.

As Jess collapsed into a broken pile Harley admired herself in the numerous mirrors. Spinning around slowly the sadistic young woman grinned wildly. This was such fun. She understood now why he did it. It was fun. He always went on about lessons and punchlines but it was all because it was fun, nothing else! They were made for each other and now she could prove it to him. She was just like him. She got a kick out of inflicting pain and suffering. He would be happy with her now. He really would. All she had to do was make him forget about the Goddamn doctor- his pathetic Jester.

As her fantasy ran away with her she saw it. Behind his wonderful 'Jester' was the most wonderful thing she had seen. Encased in glass, sat on a gaudy gold-painted throne there it was. The face was peeling from lack of love but the body was fine. The sleek suit caught Harley's attention like the greatest toy in a shop window at Christmas. Smiling broadly she stepped over her 'plaything' and pressed her palms against the dusty glass. Running her fingertips over the pane she weighed up the size of the mannequin. Give or take a little it would do just fine. Grabbing her hammer with both hands she swung over Jess' head shattering the glass in one blow.

Small drops of hard rain fell on Jess' face as she tried to cover her ears from the shattering noise attacking her brain. With burning eyes she tried to look at the figure beside her, above her. Suddenly a great weight landed on her forcing a squeal from her pained ribcage. Soft velvet ran over her burning skin as the weight slid across her body and onto the floor beside her.

Disoriented Jess tried to move away from the commotion before her, pulling herself over the glass strewn floor, small shards burrowing their way into her palms as she did so.

"He wants a jester…he can have a jester!" Harley spat as she ripped the suit from the dummy. Stripping to her underwear she continued to rant to herself. Pushing both her feet into the clothing she shimmied into the full bodysuit. "Hahahahahaha!"

Slowly the darkness crept into Jess' brain as she desperately tried to focus on the dancing fool before her. Feeling her head fall suddenly, followed by the almost immediate relaxing of all her muscles Jess hit the floor hard. As her eyes rolled back into her skull the last thing she saw was black and red, black and red, black and red, black…


	20. Chapter 20

**WARNING! Graphic violence and swearing.**

**Beauty and The Beast**

'Click'

Another pool of dirty light flowed over the cracks in the ground drawing long inky shadows over the grass as the large wood fronted building burst into elderly life. Rows of small bulbs outlined the darkened doorway and broken down mannequins in glass cases began to sway lazily, waving their arms haphazardly around them. Crossing the front of the attraction the Joker stared into the dim foyer. She could have quite easily hidden in here.

Stepping onto the old wooden boards he quietly made his way towards the next doorway, towards the dirty mirrors. Leaning on a thick, peeling frame he glared at the mirrored maze before him. Could Jess have made it through here? As the thought of Harley stalking his Jester played on his mind something caught his eye. To his left a patch of darkness within one of the mirrors called to him. Jagged edges were haloed with a spiderweb of shattered glass. Normally a broken mirror would not have seemed so important had it not been for the thick red smear slicked across the glass. She had been here. Or at least one of them had. Turning back to the maze he bit his lower lip. Was she still here? Taking a step forward he stared at the small round drops of crimson dotting the dusty floor.

As he pondered the thought of entering the maze a loud shriek split through the mirrors. Jess! Starting into the maze he was stopped immediately in his tracks by yet another loud scream. This time the sound seemed to be all around him. Was it Jess, or was it Ivy? Again the noise rang in his ears. Shaking his head he knew he did not have the time to waste trawling through a Hall of Mirrors when Jess could be anywhere. It would take him forever to work his way through the place by which time Harley could have already killed her.

"Grrrr!" he slammed his fist against the nearest mirror before turning on his heels and heading outside to be greeted by the hurling black mass of Batman as he hit the side of the building. "You're supposed to be killing him, not **playing with him**!"

Picking himself from the broken boards the caped vigilante armed himself with a stun gun. Joker raised his eyebrow quizzically before making a run for it to the next attraction. He didn't have time for this. Especially now the Bat in his infinite wisdom had thought it a good ploy to bring the brute along to him once again.

Running headfirst towards the great hulk Batman flung a baterang at his face. If he could blind him he may just have a chance. The silver bat struck Bane across the forehead but failed to even slow him down. Trying to take the drugged man from behind Batman thrust the two-pronged gun into his side. As the electricity began to flow through him, the brute's skin tightened and his body stood rigid. Veins pulsing manically as the torrent of pain surged through his ribcage. Holding the weapon hard against the scarred flesh the Bat clung to his adversary like a limpet on a rock. Surely the man would fall? Grappling at the tubes adorning Bane's lower jaw the cowelled hero pulled sharply freeing two from the gaping holes in his throat. Thick, black oil ran down over his pale skin and onto Batman's gloves. At first Batman thought it was the brute's blood but the smell was less than savoury and the flow was constant. Pulling the tubes harder Batman fell to the floor. As his body tumbled Bane swung his heavy arm hard into his torso sending the Bat once more sailing across the theme park. Tubes still in hand Batman collided with the Hall of Mirrors once more.

"NOOO!" Ivy screamed as the flesh surrounding the remaining tubes tore free and each clear tube followed the vigilante towards the building.

Black poison mixed with thick blood slicked through his thick fingers as Bane's hands clung to his face. This was pain but he had no way of dealing with it. The blood tasted sour on the remaining parts of his tongue. Rank acid pouring from his jaws and teeth as his lifeline was ripped from him. Glaring at Ivy he glowered in confusion. He felt overwhelmed by fear and pain and rage. The pain in his face was suddenly joined by unbelievable pain in his chest. Pain he had felt before, some time in the recent past. Running his bloody hands over his chest he saw the tubes tear from between his ribs and up through the muscles in his neck. This Bat, this thing was tearing him into shreds.

"Please!" Ivy wailed, throwing herself at Batman. "You're killing him! You're killing him!"

"He was already dead," the Bat growled.

"No! I wont let you do this!" Ivy clawed at the darkened eyes beneath the mask as she desperately tried to give her 'baby' a way out. Digging her manicured nails deep into Batman's face she ordered her monster to run. "Bane, go! I can fix you! Go now!"

For a second the brute almost obeyed before Batman peeled the woman from his body and threw her hard onto the floor. The rage surged through his searing chest and Bane charged.

* * *

><p>"Wake up!"<p>

The words were accompanied by a sharp blow to her face as Jess felt her eyes pried open forcefully. Harley's hands were all over her, forcing her face to comply.

"I want you awake for this!" the crazed woman grinned. "Wake UP!"

Another slap across the face roused the poisoned doctor just enough for her to roll her eyes into some kind of consciousness. Attempting to focus on her attacker she noted the alternating red and black catsuit the woman was wearing. Who was she? And where had she brought her? One minute she was in the hospital the next she was here. How had she got here? Twisting to look at herself in the mirror to her left her body doubled in pain. Clutching her ribs she felt the uneven curve of the bones. They were broken. The coppery taste in her mouth was not good, she figured she had a punctured lung too. Bringing her other hand to her head she watched the girl's reflection in the mirror. She was horribly disfigured. She looked like him…like the Joker. Thick scars ran along her cheeks, splitting her face effectively in two. The edges were raised and the girl had an awkward look in her eyes. She felt she could almost recognise the girl but yet her identity escaped her.

Watching as gloved hands sifted though broken glass Jess felt her heart freeze in her chest. Standing to gaze at the crumpled woman the harlequin girl grinned sickly. Holding a long jagged piece of glass between her velvet covered fingers she approached her before dropping to her knees.

"Did you save me?" Jess questioned simply with a half smile.

The girl laughed at her face, "Save you? God no! You're really losing your mind aren't ya? Poor little Jester; doesn't know what's going on. Here let me help ya!"

Running her gloved hands through Jess' damp hair the girl gripped her at the scalp and forced her to look in the mirror. Pressing her face hard against her own reflection the scarred woman forced the shard of glass between Jess' lips.

Suddenly Jess' heart leapt into action. Adrenalin surged through her body as tears poured down her bruised skin. Terrified to the core she stared at the dirty blade sliding over her tongue. What was this girl doing? And why? Jess didn't understand. Closing her eyes she tried to block out the world.

Suddenly her head was pulled back sharply and slammed against the mirror hard shattering the surface. Opening her eyes to stare at the distorted view of her tear stained face she trembled violently.

The harlequin slowly pulled back on the blade, whispering in her ear like a childhood nightmare, "You thought you could really get away didn't ya? Well now I'm in charge and you're dead bitch. You know what pisses me off the most? Huh? He hate's that fucking scar on your face and then he does THIS to me! You're just so…PER. FECT. Well I think we can change that cutie pie!"

Suddenly pain split through Jess' face like a bullet through her flesh as the shard sliced through the muscles in her right cheek. Pulling hard the girl sliced roughly through the fleshy part of her face, brutally hacking away at her face. Blood poured fro the jagged edges like a waterfall and the girl laughed manically as she pulled back to stand over her victim. Pain seared through the whole of Jess' head as fire ripped through her muscles and nerves. Shaking in agony she tried desperately to hold her face together. The lower part of her flesh hung lower than her teeth and incessant crimson slicked her hands, pouring through her fingers and onto her open blouse.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Not so fucking perfect now are ya?" the harlequin shrieked.

An unfamiliar noise seemed to drown the girl's manic raving out as Jess became aware of her own heart-wrenching wails. The sound filled every mirrored corridor and escaped out into the night.

"Shut up! Shut up or I swear to God I'm gonna take it to your throat!" the girl growled. "I swear…"

The world shattered into a thousand pieces as the wall beside Jess exploded and brought with it chaos and two men. The first sailed through the air effortlessly slamming hard into the harlequin girl, flooring her in one blow. The second much larger man stormed through the opening like a bulldozer, grabbing anything in his path with blood smeared hands and hurling it at the black clad man. Watching as the beast flung the girl across the shattered room into a mirror on the far side of the 'room' Jess tried to stumble backwards. Pain encompassed her entire body now. As the brute turned to look at her familiar eyes bored into her own. She was in no position to deal with this. Searching in her brain for an answer flashes of dreams, or memories, hit her at the back of her eyes.

Like frames from an old horror movie, faded at the edges, she remembered those eyes. Those eyes that judged her, victimised her, bullied her, tortured her. Those eyes that she watched fade away as the Joker repeatedly hammered sharp blows into his body. Those eyes were her nightmares. Those eyes.

"No," the word betrayed her fragile mind and something clicked between the two of the them. She knew him and he knew her. She had to go. She had to get out. She had to get up. Willing herself to stand although she knew she couldn't Jess' prayed for a miracle. She would rather bleed to death alone than let him get to her.

Suddenly her prayers were answered as a tough but gentle gloved hand pulled her to her feet. Agony cracked through her left leg as her joints crumpled beneath her weight but the masked man supported her firmly, "Go."


End file.
